Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been found not guilty of bribery at a London court, ending a 13-year investigation by the UK's National Crime Agency that she says cost her her reputation, her freedom of movement, and her career.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, where Alison-Madueke faced five counts of accepting bribes and conspiracy to commit bribery. The trial had begun in January.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC following her acquittal, the 65-year-old said the investigation had inflicted lasting damage on her life.

"I've not been allowed to travel. I've not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity," she said.

Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria's petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and made history as the first female president of Opec, the oil exporters' group. She was first arrested in 2015 but was not charged until 2023.

Prosecutors had alleged she received kickbacks from wealthy oil tycoons who held government contracts, including goods worth £2 million from Harrods, chauffeur-driven cars, and the use of multi-million-pound properties in London and Buckinghamshire.

Her older brother, Archbishop Doye Agamas, 69, was also acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery. Oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, was found not guilty on all counts — despite having faced prosecution even though she had served as an informant in a Nigerian anti-corruption investigation.

The NCA told the BBC it had "conducted a long-running, in-depth and complex investigation" that was regularly reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service, and said it "respected the decision of the jury."