Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said her acquittal by a United Kingdom court has brought an end to years of what she described as “unjust vilification, condemnation and scrutiny” that followed bribery allegations against her.
News Point Nigeria reports that Alison-Madueke was acquitted by the Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday after a jury cleared her of all six bribery charges following several hours of deliberation, bringing to a close a legal battle that spanned nearly 11 years.
The former minister’s troubles began in October 2015 when she was arrested in London, just months after leaving office as a cabinet member in Nigeria. Although she was subsequently released on bail, investigations into allegations of corruption and bribery continued for years.
Her trial eventually commenced in January after the UK government formally charged her in August 2023 over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
British prosecutors had accused Alison-Madueke of accepting bribes in the form of luxury goods and access to high-end properties from oil and gas industry figures in exchange for the award of lucrative multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts during her tenure as petroleum minister.
However, her legal team argued before the court that she exercised limited control over the approval of oil contracts while in office, maintaining that most key decisions were made before such matters reached her desk.
Reacting to the verdict in an emotional video message, Alison-Madueke expressed gratitude to God, her family, friends and supporters who stood by her throughout what she described as an “arduous” and “traumatic” period.
“I’m just thankful to God. It’s been a very, very arduous and long, almost 11 years. It’s been traumatic not just for me but for my family, for friends, for all those who have stayed and supported, for my 93-year-old mother in Port Harcourt, for my son, and for all those who love us, friends and family. We’re surrounded by friends here. So it has been a hard journey,” she said.
“But I tell you this, God will always do as God wills, and God will be God. God is not a man that he should lie. So when he promises you something, he will see it through.”
Reflecting further on the lengthy legal battle, the former minister said her faith sustained her throughout the process.
“It has been almost 11 years I’ve been here. I did my job to the best of my ability, but like I said, God is not a man that he should lie. God is God, and we thank him,” she added.
In a separate statement issued by her representative, Bolouere Opukiri, Alison-Madueke described the verdict as the conclusion of a decade-long period of relentless public scrutiny and accusations.
“A decade of unrelenting and unjust vilification, condemnation, and scrutiny has finally concluded,” the statement read.
“I give thanks to Almighty God for His faithfulness and for the complete vindication I have received. I am grateful to my legal counsel for their diligence and to my family and friends for their steadfast support and encouragement throughout this period.”
She added: “I am profoundly relieved. My name has been cleared, and this ordeal has come to an end.”
While welcoming the verdict, Alison-Madueke said she would, at an appropriate time, speak publicly about the events of the last decade as well as her future plans.
For now, however, the former minister said her immediate focus would be on embracing what she described as the freedom she had been unjustly denied for many years, following one of the most closely watched corruption cases involving a former Nigerian public official in the United Kingdom.