Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was found not guilty of six bribery-related charges by a jury at London's Southwark Crown Court, bringing an end to a high-profile corruption case that had been under investigation by British authorities for more than a decade.
The 65-year-old, who served as Nigeria's minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015, was acquitted of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery following a trial that began in January.
The verdict marks a significant setback for the UK's National Crime Agency, which had pursued allegations against one of Africa's most prominent former political figures for 13 years.
Prosecutors alleged Alison-Madueke received luxury benefits in London from oil and gas executives seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria.
They argued that wealthy industry figures financed aspects of her lifestyle, including accommodation and spending, in exchange for influence.
However, prosecutors did not allege during the trial that contracts had been improperly awarded to those individuals.
Alison-Madueke consistently denied wrongdoing and told the court she had never sought or accepted bribes.
Her legal team argued that expenses cited by prosecutors were reimbursed either by the Nigerian government or by Alison-Madueke herself.
She also described herself as being known as "Madam due process" because of her adherence to official procedures.
Following more than 46 hours of jury deliberations, the panel returned not-guilty verdicts on all charges.
The jury also cleared Alison-Madueke's brother, Doye Agama, of conspiracy to commit bribery linked to payments made to his church.
Oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde was acquitted of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.
Ayinde had argued she acted as an informant for Nigerian authorities during an anti-corruption investigation and had reported alleged requests for bribes.
The trial experienced multiple delays and nearly collapsed before jury deliberations began.
Legal challenges by the defendants and disputes over evidence contributed to the lengthy proceedings.
In a statement issued after the verdict, Alison-Madueke said her "nightmare is over" and described the case as having hung over her and her family for 11 years.
Britain's National Crime Agency said it respected the jury's decision.