Nigeria's ex-oil minister Alison-Madueke cleared of all charges after UK corruption trial

Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been found not guilty by a London jury of six bribery charges, including accepting bribes and conspiracy to commit bribery.

Former Nigerian ​oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke ​was on ‌Wednesday found ​not guilty by a London jury of six bribery charges, ‌after a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official. Alison-Madueke, minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and ‌2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan, stood trial charged ‌with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denied.

Prosecutors alleged ⁠Alison-Madueke, ​65, was ⁠given "a life of luxury" in London from oil and gas ⁠industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, which has ​long grappled with mismanagement and corruption. But the former ⁠minister, who was also briefly president of the Organization of ⁠the ​Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never took any bribes and had no real ⁠influence over the awarding of lucrative government contracts.

After a trial ⁠at ⁠London's Southwark Crown Court, Alison-Madueke was acquitted of all six charges she faced.