The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) have criticised the acquittal of former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke by a United Kingdom court, describing the verdict as a setback to international anti-corruption efforts.
In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria said the judgment delivered by the Southwark Crown Court in London should serve as a reminder of the need for Nigeria to strengthen its domestic accountability and anti-corruption institutions.
A UK jury last week cleared Mrs Alison-Madueke of six counts of bribery and conspiracy after deliberating for 46 hours.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was acquitted of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The former minister, 65, had consistently denied the allegations. Prosecutors alleged that Mrs Alison-Madueke received lavish benefits and enjoyed what they described as “a life of luxury” in London, funded by oil and gas industry figures seeking favourable treatment and lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
They argued that the benefits were provided in exchange for influence over government decisions and contract awards.
However, the former minister had maintained throughout the trial that she neither accepted bribes nor exercised direct control over the award of government contracts.
Following more than 46 hours of deliberations, jurors at Southwark Crown Court found her not guilty on all six counts, Reuters reported.
The British authorities’ investigation into corruption allegations involving the former minister began more than a decade ago.
Challenges
Reacting to the verdict, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) said although the organisation respects the unanimous decision of the jury, the outcome exposed challenges associated with prosecuting politically exposed persons and securing convictions in complex corruption cases.
“The verdict underscores the challenges associated with securing criminal convictions against politically exposed persons based largely on circumstantial lifestyle evidence,” the statement said.
The group emphasised that while the prosecution was unable to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the benefits allegedly received by the former minister, including luxury properties, private jet travel, and high-end shopping expenses, were directly linked to abuse of public office, the acquittal does not erase concerns about governance failures and accountability gaps in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector during the period Mrs Alison-Madueke served as petroleum minister between 2011 and 2015.
It argued that allegations relating to actions carried out while the former minister held public office in Nigeria should have been conclusively addressed by Nigerian institutions rather than foreign authorities.
According to CISLAC, the case also highlighted the role major international financial centres can play in facilitating illicit financial flows, unexplained wealth and money laundering through luxury real estate and professional intermediaries.
The organisation commended the cooperation between international anti-corruption agencies and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during the investigation but criticised what it described as inadequate political will to prosecute the matter domestically.
“The fact that foreign institutions took the lead in pursuing this matter reflects longstanding weaknesses in Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture and the inability of relevant agencies and the judiciary to effectively prosecute high-profile corruption cases,” the statement added.
Recommendations
To strengthen accountability and restore public confidence in anti-corruption efforts, CISLAC urged the EFCC and the judiciary to ensure that all outstanding civil and criminal cases involving Mrs Alison-Madueke are diligently pursued to their lawful conclusion.
The organisation also called for stronger investigations and due diligence processes to ensure corruption prosecutions are supported by credible and admissible evidence capable of securing convictions.
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It further recommended reforms within the judiciary and the energy sector to reduce reliance on foreign jurisdictions for accountability and to eliminate excessive individual discretion in contract administration and approvals.
In addition, CISLAC urged authorities to prioritise civil asset recovery mechanisms and strengthen proceeds-of-crime legislation to facilitate the recovery of contested assets.
The organisation reiterated its commitment to promoting transparency, accountability and integrity in public governance and urged Nigerian authorities to draw lessons from the UK trial to strengthen domestic anti-corruption institutions and safeguard public resources.