*’For 11 Long, Gruelling Years This Case Has Hung Over My Head And Has Tormented Me And My Family…
*’But Today, The Past Decade Of Relentless And Unjust Vilification, Condemnation And Scrutiny Has Finally Come To An End’
*Her Acquittal May Leave Certain Officials Of Buhari Regime, Journalists, With Defamation Cases, If She Pursues Matter
By our reporter, and Reuters
Finally, she can heave a huge sigh of relief, sleep with a cool head and walk tall, as she has been found not guilty of six bribery charges by a London jury on Wednesday after corruption investigations and trial against her that lasted more than 10 years.
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was found not guilty after a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official in the UK.
The verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, who began their investigation into corruption allegations against Alison-Madueke more than a decade ago.
Through all the years, she had largely maintained a position of “not guilty”, but in Nigeria, where Alison-Madueke served as a powerful Minister in the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, only few persons believed her.
The clean bill of health given her now by the London court has left exposed the flanks of some government officials, especially of the President Muhammadu Buhari era (2015-23), who deployed certain media houses to libel her before Nigerians and the international community, legal experts note.
It remains to be seen what move she makes against them in the light of her current circumstances, but a source close to her local circle in Nigeria told People&Politics that Alison-Madueke will decide what to do with her traducers when she is done “soaking in the sweet aroma of freedom from her travails and damaging false accusations without proof.”
Reacting to her acquittal, Zainab Saleem of campaign group Spotlight on Corruption, said: “This case has exposed just how tough it is to investigate and prosecute alleged corruption involving political elites.”
Alison-Madueke, a history maker –being first woman to be female Executive Director on the board of Shell Nigeria; first woman to be Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources, who served between 2010 and 2015 under Jonathan; first woman to be president of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) — stood trial charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
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.
My Nightmare Is Over -Alison-Madueke
Following a trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court that began in January, Alison-Madueke was acquitted after more than 46 hours of jury deliberation, after which she said her “nightmare is over.”
“For 11 long, gruelling years this case has hung over my head and has tormented me and my family,” Alison-Madueke said in a statement issued by her spokesperson.
“But today, the past decade of relentless and unjust vilification, condemnation and scrutiny has finally come to an end.”
A spokesperson for Britain’s National Crime Agency said: “We respect the decision of the jury.”
Not-guilty Verdicts Follow Years Of Allegations
Alison-Madueke survived multiple scandals and probes into the government-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) before leaving government when Jonathan lost power in 2015.
She was also a target of U.S. authorities, who alleged the proceeds of illicitly awarded contracts were laundered through the U.S.
British prosecutors did not allege at Alison-Madueke’s trial that there was evidence she had awarded contracts to those who should not have had them; they merely sought to prove it was “improper” for her to accept benefits.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), however, said in 2017 that Alison-Madueke “used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts” to senior executives who had paid her bribes.
Also on trial was oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was acquitted of one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, 69, was also acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister relating to payments made to Agama’s church.
Lengthy Trial Almost Collapsed Before Verdicts
Alison-Madueke’s trial almost collapsed shortly before the jury began its deliberations, having also survived a separate attempt by the former Oil Minister to have the case thrown out.
Her arguments that Nigerian investigators were themselves corrupt and that British prosecutors had not chased all relevant leads were rejected before trial.
But Ayinde’s allegations that she was a “whistleblower” who reported corruption to Bola Tinubu, who became President in 2023, caused a long delay which nearly ended the trial.
Ayinde was accused of bribing the then-Managing Director of NNPC, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, in 2015.
She said she was approached for a bribe by Kachikwu’s brother and reported it to the Nigerian authorities, whom she said told her to “play along.”
In March, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi — who was in London accompanying Tinubu on a state visit — sent a letter on behalf of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) to Ayinde’s lawyers, saying she had made a report to the authorities.
Ayinde subsequently sought to have the charge relating to Kachikwu thrown out, but the judge ruled against her. The jury subsequently cleared her of both charges.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Alison-Madueke… smiling again at last.
