Diezani’s Acquittal Poses Uncertainty US, UK Ending Graft In Africa – ANEEJ
https://osazuwaakonedo.news/diezanis-acquittal-poses-uncertainty-us-uk-ending-graft-in-africa-aneej/
#ANEEJ #cbn #David #Southwark #EFCC #Jonathan #NFIU #OPEC #Sanusi #SCUML #Ugolor #US Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ has expressed deep concern over the acquittal of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court, describing the verdict as a troubling moment for the global fight against corruption, illicit financial flows IFFs, and impunity, a statement that follows the June 17, 2026, ruling at the Southwark Crown Court in London, where a jury cleared Alison-Madueke of all six bribery charges brought against her by the UK’s National Crime Agency, NCA after a five-month trial and 46 hours of deliberation, while her co-defendants, oil executive, Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, were also acquitted, bringing a dramatic end to a saga that began more than a decade ago, a development that prompted ANEEJ to take immediate action today, June 23, 2026, by launching a critical two-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, a body domiciled within the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML, an arm of the EFCC to aggressively equip civil society organizations, CSOs with the necessary tools to track, combat, and dismantle these very same illicit financial flows across Nigeria. #OsazuwaAkonedo
https://osazuwaakonedo.news/diezanis-acquittal-poses-uncertainty-us-uk-ending-graft-in-africa-aneej/
#ANEEJ #cbn #David #Southwark #EFCC #Jonathan #NFIU #OPEC #Sanusi #SCUML #Ugolor #US Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ has expressed deep concern over the acquittal of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court, describing the verdict as a troubling moment for the global fight against corruption, illicit financial flows IFFs, and impunity, a statement that follows the June 17, 2026, ruling at the Southwark Crown Court in London, where a jury cleared Alison-Madueke of all six bribery charges brought against her by the UK’s National Crime Agency, NCA after a five-month trial and 46 hours of deliberation, while her co-defendants, oil executive, Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, were also acquitted, bringing a dramatic end to a saga that began more than a decade ago, a development that prompted ANEEJ to take immediate action today, June 23, 2026, by launching a critical two-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, a body domiciled within the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML, an arm of the EFCC to aggressively equip civil society organizations, CSOs with the necessary tools to track, combat, and dismantle these very same illicit financial flows across Nigeria. #OsazuwaAkonedo
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NewsTranscript
00:00Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice,
00:03AINIGE has expressed deep concern over the acquittal of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources,
00:10Mrs. Dizani Alison Madueke, by a United Kingdom court,
00:14describing the verdict as a troubling moment for the global fight against corruption,
00:19illicit financial flows IFFs, and impunity, a statement that follows the June 17, 2026,
00:26ruling at the Southwark Crown Court in London, where a jury cleared Alison Madueke of all six
00:32bribery charges brought against her by the UK's National Crime Agency, NCA after a five-month
00:39trial and 46 hours of deliberation, while her co-defendants, Oil Executive, Olatimbo Ayinde
00:46and her brother, Doya Gamma, were also acquitted, bringing a dramatic end to a saga that began
00:52more than a decade ago, a development that prompted AINIGE to take immediate action today,
00:57June 23, 2026, by launching a critical two-day capacity building workshop in Abuja in collaboration
01:05with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit,
01:13NFIU, a body domiciled within the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and Special Control Unit Against
01:20Money Laundering, SKUML, an arm of the EFCC to aggressively equip civil society organizations,
01:27CSOs with the necessary tools to track, combat, and dismantle these very same illicit financial
01:33flows across Nigeria. Alison Madueke served as Nigeria's powerful oil minister from 2010 to 2015
01:41and was the first female president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
01:47Her tenure was immediately hit by controversy when former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor,
01:55Sanusi Lamido Sanusi alleged that $20 billion in oil revenue had gone missing under her watch.
02:01In May 2015, just as the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was handing over power
02:07to Mohamedou Buhari, Alison Madueke left Nigeria for London. By October 2015,
02:14the UK's NCA arrested her on suspicion of bribery and money laundering, seizing her passport and sparking
02:21a 13-year international investigation. For years, Alison Madueke's legal team fiercely resisted
02:28attempts by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to extradite her back to Abuja to
02:35face separate corruption charges. Her prolonged stay in the UK was repeatedly defended on critical medical
02:42grounds. Her lawyers disclosed that she was diagnosed with triple negative cancer, describing
02:48it as the most aggressive form of breast cancer. Over the decade, her defense stated that she underwent
02:54multiple major surgeries and extensive chemotherapy treatments in London hospitals, leaving her at one
03:01point in a coma due to medical complications. These health battles, combined with the extreme complexity of
03:08cross-border financial tracking, left her on continuous UK bail for eight years before she was formally
03:14charged in 2023. Despite prosecutors presenting evidence that oil contractors funded a life of luxury
03:22for her in London, including spending £2 million of Harrods, securing private jet flights, and occupying high-end
03:29properties, the case ultimately collapsed because the prosecution failed to meet the strict criminal standard of
03:35proof. The Southwark Crown Court acquitted Alison Madueke based on two central pillars. Failure to
03:42prove direct bribery, the jury found that the prosecution's evidence was largely circumstantial.
03:48Alison Madueke successfully argued that she maintained strict due process, had no direct authority over
03:55contract awards, and that any luxury spending cited by the prosecution was either personally reimbursed or fell
04:01under official state business expenses. The, broken, system and gross delays, her defense team
04:09successfully argued that the extraordinary 13-year delay by British authorities ruined the fairness of
04:14the trial. They asserted that the, passage of time, coupled with a, broken criminal justice system,
04:21made it impossible for the defendants to access vital exculpatory documents and evidence remaining in
04:27Nigeria to prove their innocence. While acknowledging the independence of the British judicial system,
04:33the ANEJ leadership warned that the collapse of such a prominent international prosecution sends a
04:38dangerous signal to corrupt actors across the continent. While ANEJ respects the independence of
04:45the British judicial system and the verdict reached by the court, this outcome represents a major setback
04:50in efforts to hold politically exposed persons accountable and combat grand corruption.
04:55It risks emboldening kleptocratic governments, corrupt public officials and their enablers across
05:02Nigeria and Africa who continue to loot public resources with impunity, said Rev. David Ugola,
05:08executive director of ANEJ. The organization noted that the verdict deals a heavy blow to the UK's
05:15historical reputation as a leader in international asset recovery, transparency, and beneficial ownership
05:22reforms. ANEJ expressed worry over a growing retreat by major Western democracies from robust action
05:29against grand corruption. Ugola warned that if the UK and the US take a back seat, prospects for ending
05:36impunity in Africa will become increasingly uncertain. The collapse of one of the most prominent corruption
05:42prosecutions involving a former African public official may weaken confidence in these commitments and
05:48undermine broader international efforts to tackle illicit financial flows. At a time when corruption
05:54continues to fuel poverty, inequality, insecurity and democratic backsliding across Africa,
06:01diminished international resolve risks strengthening those who profit from state capture and weak
06:06governance, Rev. Ugola added. A key point of concern for the international human and environmental
06:12rights watchdog, ANEJ is the sharp contrast between the London acquittal and established legal realities in
06:19Nigeria. Over the years, Nigerian courts have successfully ordered the forfeiture of billions of naira worth of
06:26properties, cash, and luxury items linked directly to the former petroleum minister. ANEJ emphasized that
06:34these domestic recoveries, secured through lawful judicial processes, underscore the massive scale of illicit wealth
06:41and the importance of international cooperation in tracing, freezing, confiscating and repatriating stolen assets.
06:42The UK acquittal, therefore, raises difficult questions about the effectiveness of cross-border enforcement
06:48and the capacity of international institutions to bring complex ground corruption cases to a successful conclusion.
06:55These recoveries, secured through established legal channels, underscore the scale of illicit wealth allegedly
07:02accumulated and the importance of sustained international cooperation in tracing, freezing,
07:07confiscating and repatriating stolen assets. The acquittal, therefore, raises difficult questions about the
07:14effectiveness of cross-border anti-corruption enforcement and the ability of national and
07:19international institutions to bring complex ground corruption cases to a successful conclusion,
07:25Ugola said. ANEJ warned that the judgment could demoralize citizens, anti-corruption agencies,
07:31whistleblowers, and investigative journalists who risked their lives to demand transparency. However,
07:38the organization stressed that the verdict must serve as a critical wake-up call rather than a deterrent.
07:45ANEJ called on African governments and international partners to redouble their efforts by strengthening
07:50local institutions, improving cross-border judicial cooperation, protecting whistleblowers,
07:56and closing the financial loopholes that facilitate illicit flows. The fight against corruption is
08:02ultimately about justice for citizens. It is about ensuring that public resources are used to improve
08:08lives rather than enrich. A privileged few, the struggle against corruption and illicit financial flows
08:15remains central to achieving democracy, sustainable development and social justice across Africa,
08:21Yugola said, reaffirming ANEJ's commitment to working with Nigerian and international institutions to
08:27ensure stolen public assets are recovered and used to improve public lives. In direct response to these
08:34ongoing transparency challenges and the staggering scale of national losses, ANEJ today, June 23,
08:412026, commenced a two-day capacity building workshop in Abuja focused on addressing illicit financial flows,
08:48IFFs, IFFs in Nigeria. The training brings together key civil society organizations,
08:55CSOs alongside distinguished stakeholders, including SECFAN Africa representative,
09:01Professor Abdullahi Shehu, and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, represented by Chief Governance,
09:09Risk and Compliance Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed on behalf of Hafsat Abu Bakr Bakri.
09:15Representatives from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering,
09:20SKUML and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC are also participating.
09:26In his welcome remarks, ANEJ's Deputy Executive Director, Atakpulio, emphasized that the workshop is
09:34part of the project, strengthening CSOs and media capacity to contribute to the fight against illicit
09:40financial flows in Nigeria. He highlighted the critical role of CSOs in advancing public accountability,
09:48citizen mobilization, budget monitoring, procurement tracking, tax justice advocacy,
09:54anti-corruption campaigns, and policy engagement. According to Leo, the workshop aims to deepen
10:01participants' understanding of the nature, drivers, trends, and developmental impacts of IFFs,
10:08while strengthening their knowledge of relevant legal, policy, and institutional frameworks.
10:13It also equips CSOs with practical tools for evidence-based advocacy, procurement monitoring,
10:21freedom of information, FOI utilization, data access, coalition building, and strategic institutional
10:28engagement. Delivering a goodwill message, Professor Abdullahi Shehu noted Nigeria's strategic
10:35importance within Africa and commended ANEJ for its outstanding research on IFFs. He encouraged
10:42participants to actively engage in governance processes, hold elected officials accountable,
10:47and participate in democratic processes, including voter registration. Representing NFIU, Mr. Ibrahim
10:56Mohamed reiterated the importance of understanding IFFs beyond financial crimes, stressing Nigeria's
11:02significant role in combating illicit outflows. He underscored the need for collective action across
11:09sectors, noting that illicit flows can occur through multiple channels, including financial institutions
11:15and non-profit organizations. Similarly, Mr. Pascal Joseph Samu, who represented SQML, an arm of the EFCC,
11:24highlighted the severe developmental impact of IFFs, revealing that Nigeria has lost over 77.7 billion
11:33dollars in the last decade, with an estimated 18 billion dollars lost annually. He emphasized
11:39SCUM's commitment to implementing beneficial ownership transparency as a key measure to curb IFFs and
11:45reaffirmed institutional support for the workshop's outcomes. The workshop continues with strong
11:51collaboration among stakeholders, reinforcing a collective commitment to combating illicit financial
11:57flows and strengthening transparency, accountability, and sustainable development across Nigeria.
12:04I'm just thankful to God. It's been a very, very arduous and long, almost 11 years. It's been traumatic for,
12:13not just for me, but for my family, for friends, and for all those who have stayed and supported us,
12:19for my 93-year-old mother in Port Hartford, for my son, and for all those who love us, friends
12:26and family,
12:27surrounded by friends. So it has been a hard journey. But I'll tell you this, God will always do as
12:36God
12:36works. And God will be God. God is not a man. Amen. So when he promises you something, he will
12:45see it still.
12:46Sure. It has been almost 11 years I've been here. I did my job to the best of my ability.
12:53But like I said, God is not a man.
12:58The Lord is God. And we thank you.
13:00Praise the Lord!
13:01Woo-hoo!
13:02For us who are on Neville, bringing you the news in a more digital way.
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