The high-profile bribery trial of former Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has entered its final stage at the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, with the jury expected to begin deliberations ahead of a verdict later this week.
Alison-Madueke, alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, faces a five-count charge over alleged bribery linked to oil contract awards during her tenure between 2010 and 2015. The trio has denied all allegations.
British prosecutors accuse the former minister of receiving luxury gifts and expensive properties from oil industry figures seeking preferential access to lucrative petroleum contracts. According to the prosecution, there is no credible documentary evidence showing that the benefits were reimbursed or legally justified.
During closing arguments, defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw criticised the prosecution’s handling of evidence, arguing that investigators failed to prosecute the alleged bribe givers while relying on what he described as inconsistent and incomplete material.
He questioned the conduct of a 2015 raid on Alison-Madueke’s Abuja residence, citing alleged procedural lapses, including the absence of senior officials and lack of photographic documentation showing where recovered items were found.
Laidlaw also claimed that potentially exculpatory records relating to official duties, reimbursements, and ministerial expenses were either unavailable or ignored by investigators. He further challenged the prosecution’s selective use of evidence originating from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Lead prosecutor Alexandra Healy, however, maintained that executives from oil companies provided improper benefits to the former minister while securing favourable business outcomes from the Nigerian government.
She pointed to a £1 million payment allegedly connected to businessman Benedict Peters, arguing that intermediary arrangements were deliberately used to disguise the true nature of the transaction.
The jury is expected to return its verdict after concluding deliberations later this week.