Diezani deserves fair trial, Nigerian lawyers tell UK court

The League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria (LOLPON) has called for strict adherence to due process, evidential integrity and fair hearing in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the United Kingdom. Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the association said its intervention was guided strictly by legal […]

The League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria (LOLPON) has called for strict adherence to due process, evidential integrity and fair hearing in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the United Kingdom.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the association said its intervention was guided strictly by legal principles and not political considerations, stressing that the former minister remained innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.

Speaking on behalf of the group, LOLPON National Secretary, Priscilla Makoshi Marcus Esq., said the association had reviewed aspects of the proceedings already available in the public domain and identified what it described as concerns relating to evidential issues and the overall fairness of the trial.

“At the centre of this matter lies a simple but fundamental legal principle — every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” she said.

Marcus noted that despite years of allegations and media attention surrounding Alison-Madueke’s tenure in office, the proceedings before the UK court were narrower in scope than public perception suggested.

“Criminal liability cannot be established through public perception, recycled media narratives, or political assumptions. It must be established through admissible, credible and internally consistent evidence,” she added.

According to the lawyers, the prosecution under the UK Bribery Act 2010 bears the responsibility of proving corrupt intent, improper influence and unlawful advantage directly linked to official conduct.

The group argued that certain inconsistencies had emerged during the proceedings, including reports that some witnesses alleged to have paid bribes denied making such payments.

“The prosecution is also reported to have acknowledged that there is no evidence the Defendant awarded contracts to companies that were undeserving on performance grounds,” Marcus stated.

LOLPON further expressed concern over what it described as unresolved evidential gaps, particularly regarding reimbursement records, invoices and official documents reportedly removed during searches conducted in Abuja in 2015.

The association said questions also remained over the chain of custody of some materials presented during the investigation.

“The court reportedly heard evidence that Nigerian investigators initially documented two bags of seized materials, while additional materials later emerged during evidential review, which the lawyers said required further clarification,” the group stated.

According to LOLPON, such issues were significant under both Nigerian and UK evidential laws because they directly affected the reliability and integrity of exhibits presented before the court.

On allegations relating to accommodation, luxury purchases and properties linked to the former minister, the lawyers argued that ownership and payment trails remained critical legal questions.

“The relevant legal question is not whether expensive items existed, but who paid for them, who owned the destination properties, and who exercised legal control over those assets,” Marcus explained.

The group also stated that evidence referenced during proceedings reportedly linked several payments and properties primarily to businessman Kola Aluko and associated entities rather than directly to Alison-Madueke.

LOLPON additionally raised concerns over the prolonged restrictions placed on the former minister since her arrest in 2015, noting that she had yet to be convicted of any offence.

“The prolonged withholding of travel documentation and effective restriction of movement for over a decade without final judicial determination raises legitimate questions under international fair hearing standards,” the association said.

The lawyers also cited humanitarian concerns, including reports that Alison-Madueke had allegedly been unable to properly care for her aged mother due to travel restrictions.

While acknowledging that no individual was above the law, the association recalled Alison-Madueke’s record in public service, including her emergence as the first female President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

“That history does not place her above the law, but it does require that she be treated with fairness, objectivity and freedom from prejudicial assumptions,” Marcus added.

The association urged authorities handling the matter to ensure that the proceedings remained evidence-based, proportionate and free from sensationalism.

“Justice must be evidence-based. Justice must be proportionate. Justice must be procedurally fair,” the group stated.