Lawyers raise fair trial concerns in Diezani’s UK case

By Luminous Jannamike, ABUJA

The League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria, yesterday, questioned the fairness and evidential basis of the ongoing United Kingdom trial involving former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, insisting that the case must be determined strictly on credible evidence and proof beyond reasonable doubt.

The group said its review of proceedings already in the public domain revealed contradictions in testimony, gaps in documentary evidence and concerns over the handling of exhibits central to the prosecution’s case.

Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, the group’s National Secretary, Priscilla Makoshi Marcus, noted that the organisation’s intervention was based strictly on legal and procedural concerns.

She said that the London proceedings were narrower than years of sweeping allegations surrounding Nigeria’s petroleum sector and focused mainly on accommodation, travel, logistics, school fees and related expenses.

The lawyers also questioned the integrity of evidence handling in the case, saying reimbursement records, invoices and related materials allegedly removed during searches in Abuja in 2015, were absent from the evidential record.

The organisation further cited inconsistencies surrounding seized materials, claiming investigators initially documented two bags of exhibits before a third later emerged during evidential review.

It also argued that ownership, payment and control remained central legal issues, maintaining that prosecutors under the UK Bribery Act 2010 still carried the burden of proving corrupt intent and unlawful advantage tied directly to official conduct.

“The position of the League of Legal Practitioners of Nigeria is therefore, clear: Justice must be evidence based. Justice must be proportionate. Justice must be procedurally fair. Justice must remain free from sensationalism, selective assumptions, or public pressure,” Marcus said.

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