Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke and the prosecution have closed their cases in the ongoing bribery trial at the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom.
The former minister is standing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and Doye Agama, her brother, on a five-count charge bordering on alleged bribery.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
British prosecutors had accused Alison-Madueke of accepting bribes in the form of luxury items from industry figures.
The prosecution alleged that the former minister received high-end properties from individuals who believed she would use her influence to favour them in oil contract deals.
Alison-Madueke and her legal team have denied all allegations.
She served as minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015.
Defence Attacks Prosecution Over Evidence Handling
During proceedings on Tuesday, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to the former minister, delivered his closing arguments.
Laidlaw had accused the UK prosecutors of failing to prosecute the alleged bribe givers, relying on questionable evidence and failing to provide some materials necessary for the defence.
The senior lawyer argued that while Alison-Madueke was charged, the wealthy oil businessmen accused of paying the bribes were never prosecuted.
“One can be forgiven whether parliament, in its wisdom, when enacting the Bribery Act, could have contemplated this absurd situation where the people who are alleged to have paid the bribes are free, while the accused has been held prisoner for 11 years,” Laidlaw was quoted as saying.
He also claimed officials of the UK National Crime Agency were absent during the raid on Alison-Madueke’s Abuja residence in October 2015.
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According to him, none of the items allegedly recovered during the operation were photographed in their original locations, while the agency no longer possesses some of the original materials now being relied upon in court.
Laidlaw further alleged that key documents capable of supporting the former minister’s defence had disappeared, including records relating to reimbursements and official documents linked to her ministerial duties.
He faulted the prosecution’s claim that records detailing Alison-Madueke’s official movements and fund disbursements do not exist.
The defence also questioned why prosecutors relied heavily on evidence generated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission while dismissing correspondence from the same agency tendered in support of Ayinde as unreliable.
Prosecution Insists Benefits Were Improper
In his closing submission, lead prosecutor Alexandra Healy repeated allegations that some oil executives provided improper benefits to Alison-Madueke while their companies secured lucrative state contracts during her tenure as petroleum minister.
Healy told the jury it was improper for a serving minister to have her lifestyle funded by individuals doing business with the Nigerian government.
The prosecutor rejected the defence’s argument that all benefits were reimbursed in Nigeria, saying no documentary evidence of reimbursement had been produced in court and that the claim was never raised during earlier police interviews.
He also referenced a £1 million payment linked to businessman Benedict Peters, describing the use of intermediary structures as an “extraordinary device” intended to conceal the true nature of the transaction.
The jury is expected to deliver its verdict later this week.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.