Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has lamented that the UK authorities destroyed her reputation in a failed prosecution that left her traumatic.

 

 

Alison-Madueke said this on Friday in an interview with the BBC, stressing that the 13 year investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency, NCA, could have been handled a lot differently.

 

Her remark came after after she was cleared of bribery charges at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.

 

 

“I’ve not been allowed to travel. I’ve not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity,” she said.

 

Following a trial, the court found her not guilty of five counts of accepting bribes and conspiracy to commit bribery.

 

Recall that Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015 and was the first female president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.

 

She was first arrested in 2015 but not charged until 2023.

 

According to prosecutors, she received kickbacks from oil tycoons with government contracts, including £2 million worth of goods from Harrods, chauffeur-driven cars, and the use of properties in London and Buckinghamshire.