A former Nigerian oil minister has been cleared of taking bribes from wealthy oil executives in the form of luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK.

🌐 Here's What Happened

Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, was found not guilty after a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court of five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke was Nigeria's oil minister between 2010 and 2015 and the first female president of the oil exporters group Opec.

The verdict is a blow for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which had been investigating one of Africa's most prominent political figures for 13 years.

📌 Key Details

From the start of the trial in January, defence lawyers questioned the fairness of the prosecution's case, suggesting vital documents showing Alison-Madueke's innocence had gone missing in Nigeria.

They also said the long delay in bringing the case to court was unjust and a sign of Britain's "broken criminal justice system".

Also cleared by the jury were Alison-Madueke's older brother Doye Agama, 69, an archbishop at a Pentecostal church in Manchester, who was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, was found not guilty of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.

She had faced prosecution despite being an informant in an anti-corruption probe by the Nigerian authorities.

Alison-Madueke portrayed herself in court as a role model for women, a tireless fighter against corruption, and someone who was such a stickler for the rules she was nicknamed "Madam due process".

📰 Source: BBC Africa