Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has accused United Kingdom authorities of destroying her reputation through a failed corruption prosecution that lasted more than a decade.
Alison-Madueke, who was acquitted on Wednesday by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London, made the remarks during an interview with BBC on Friday.
The former minister had faced five counts of accepting bribes and conspiracy to commit bribery following a 13-year investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency.
Speaking after her acquittal, Alison-Madueke described the investigation and prosecution as “painful and traumatic.”
“I’ve not been allowed to travel. I’ve not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity,” she told the BBC.
The former minister, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and was the first female president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said the case had taken a significant psychological toll on her.
“When your freedom is taken away from you, it has a very deep impact upon you psychologically.
“I knew that I had never done anything nefarious and I had never done any of the heinous things I was being accused of doing,” she said.
Alison-Madueke was first arrested in 2015 but was not charged until 2023.
Prosecutors had alleged that she received benefits from oil businessmen who held government contracts, including luxury goods, chauffeur-driven vehicles and access to high-value properties in the United Kingdom.
During the interview, she claimed documents that could have supported her defence had gone missing in Nigeria.
According to her, the documents included receipts showing that some payments made on her behalf had been reimbursed.
“Those items were taken away by our intelligence forces” from her Abuja residence in 2015, she said.
She also criticised both Nigerian and British authorities over the handling of the case.
“There’s a bit of blame everywhere.
“The Nigerian authorities need to look into the processes and practices that they deploy in these cases,” Alison-Madueke said.
She added that international law enforcement agencies should exercise greater caution when investigating politically sensitive matters.
“The long arm of the law when you go into other countries, particularly in politically motivated cases, needs to have a lot more sensitivity,” she said.
Alison-Madueke further suggested that she may have been targeted because of her position and influence within Nigeria’s oil industry.
“I was the first female to enter this sort of position as petroleum minister and as head of OPEC in a very misogynistic society,” she said.
Responding to her comments, an NCA spokesperson told the BBC that the agency conducted a “long-running, in-depth and complex investigation” that was regularly reviewed by prosecutors and investigators.
The spokesperson said the agency worked closely with international partners and carried out the investigation impartially.
“A comprehensive file of evidence was presented to the CPS who authorised charges and we respect the decision of the jury in court,” the spokesperson said.
Alison-Madueke also addressed previous asset recovery actions linked to her.
In 2023, the United States Department of Justice announced the recovery of about $53 million in assets connected to two oil businessmen named during the UK trial.
The former minister said she was never given an opportunity to challenge those allegations because she had not been charged in relation to them.
“I was never given the opportunity to fight that because I wasn’t even charged,” she said.
She also questioned reports by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that it had recovered assets and properties linked to her.
“The assets that have been forfeited were not actually traced directly to me.
“I don’t know what has happened to these matters at all. It’s now that I’ll have the freedom to find out what exactly has gone on there,” she said.
Her brother, Doye Agamas, and oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde were also acquitted in the UK trial.
