Diezani walks free after UK court says she is not guilty

Yesterday, the Southwark Crown Court in London cleared Diezani Alison-Madueke of all six bribery charges she was facing. The former Minister of Petroleum Resources under President Goodluck Jonathan has been acquitted after the jury spent more than 46 hours deliberating on the matter.

She was charged with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, all of which she denied. The prosecution alleged that she enjoyed a life of luxury in London funded by oil and gas industry figures seeking big contracts in Nigeria. But the court found no evidence to support those claims.

Also acquitted were oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, and Diezani's brother Doye Agama, 69, who were both facing related bribery charges. This verdict is a serious blow to the British authorities who spent over ten years investigating these allegations. What does this mean for the perception of Nigeria's anti-corruption efforts when a former minister accused of so much walks free in a UK court?