A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, acquitted former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke of all six bribery charges she faced, ending a five-month trial and closing the criminal phase of a more than decade-long investigation by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
The jury deliberated for over 46 hours before returning unanimous not-guilty verdicts on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Alison-Madueke, who served as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan and served as OPEC president from 2014 to 2015, had consistently denied all allegations throughout the trial. Two co-defendants, oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother Doye Agama, were also acquitted.
Alison-Madueke Describes Traumatic Ordeal
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Speaking after the verdict, an emotional Alison-Madueke said the 11-year legal battle had been deeply traumatic for her family. ‘I did my job to the best of my ability. I am just thankful to God. For my 93-year-old mother in Port Harcourt, for my son, and for all those who love us, it has been a hard journey,’ she said, adding that the verdict finally ended what she described as relentless and unjust vilification.
Her defence lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, said Alison-Madueke was cleared of six charges of bribery at Southwark Crown Court on June 17 after a five-month trial. He had told the jury during the trial that a gross delay in bringing the charges had denied his client access to material that would have established her innocence.
Asset Recovery Proceedings Continue Abroad
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However, her legal battles are not entirely over. Significant civil asset recovery cases remain active in the United States and Nigeria, which require a lower standard of proof than a criminal conviction. The US Department of Justice has previously recovered more than 53 million dollars in assets linked to corruption investigations involving associates. Consequently, while the UK criminal acquittal is a major personal victory for Alison-Madueke, her full legal clearance depends on how the remaining proceedings in other jurisdictions are resolved.
