Ex-Nigeria oil minister cleared in UK bribery trial

Ex-Nigeria oil minister cleared in UK bribery trial6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSteve SwannGetty ImagesDiezani Alison-Madueke pictured in January on her way to the trial in Southwark.A former Nigerian oil minister has been cleared of taking bribes from wealthy oil executives in the form of luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK.Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, was found not guilty after a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court of five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.Alison-Madueke was Nigeria's oil minister between 2010 and 2015 and the first female president of the oil exporters group Opec.The verdict is a blow for the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which had been investigating one of Africa's most prominent political figures for 13 years.From the start of the trial in January, defence lawyers questioned the fairness of the prosecution's case, suggesting vital documents showing Alison-Madueke's innocence had gone missing in Nigeria.They also said the long delay in bringing the case to court was unjust and a sign of Britain's "broken criminal justice system".Also cleared by the jury were Alison-Madueke's older brother Doye Agama, 69, an archbishop at a Pentecostal church in Manchester, who was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery.Oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, was found not guilty of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.She had faced prosecution despite being an informant in an anti-corruption probe by the Nigerian authorities.'Madam due process'Alison-Madueke portrayed herself in court as a role model for women, a tireless fighter against corruption, and someone who was such a stickler for the rules she was nicknamed "Madam due process".She became the first female member on the Nigerian board of oil and gas giant Shell in 2006, and four years later was appointed oil minister, the country's...