LAGOS, Nigeria – Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke was acquitted of six bribery charges by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Okay News reports that the jury cleared the former minister of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors alleged that the 65-year-old was given “a life of luxury” in London by oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria. Alison-Madueke, who served as minister from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan and briefly as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never received any bribes and had no real influence over the awarding of government contracts.
The trial included oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, and the brother of the former minister, Doye Agama, 69, who were both acquitted by the jury. Ayinde faced one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and another count of bribery of a foreign public official, while Agama was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery relating to alleged payments made to his church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied all charges throughout the proceedings prior to their acquittal.
