United Kingdom court has acquitted former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of all bribery-related charges.
Gatekeepers News quotes a report by Reuters that a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday delivered unanimous not-guilty verdicts on six counts of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.
Alison-Madueke held office as Nigeria’s Petroleum Resources Minister from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
She was accused by prosecutors of accepting bribes from oil and gas industry executives in return for allegedly influencing the award of lucrative contracts in Nigeria. It was further alleged that she benefited from a “life of luxury” in London as part of the purported arrangement.
However, she denied all allegations throughout the proceedings, maintaining that she neither received bribes nor played any role in determining contract awards.
Following more than 46 hours of deliberation, the jury returned not-guilty verdicts on all counts, effectively clearing her of the charges.
