Seplat Energy announced last week that the Federal High Court in Abuja formally struck out the criminal charge brought by the Nigeria Immigration Service against the Company and some of its Officers. The Court fully discharged all named defendants. The charge had earlier been withdrawn by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on April 20 and was in relation to the immigration status of Mr. Roger Brown and the withdrawal of his immigration visa by the Ministry of Interior.
In addition, a new separate legal case, Boniface Okezie & 4 ors V. Seplat & 9 ors (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/PET/8/2023), was brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The petition as advised by independent legal advisors, was an unlawful duplication of the Petition already before the Federal High Court in Lagos (Suit No. FHC/L/CP/402/2023 – Moses A. Igbrude & 4 ors v. Seplat Energy Plc & 2 ors), where the Court recently vacated the Interim Orders against the Chief Executive Officer and adjourned the case to May 16, 2023.
The new case also included a request to restrain the Company from holding its Annual General Meeting on May 10,2023.
The Federal High Court did not accede to the request of Petitioners to grant ex parte Interim Orders restraining the Company from holding its AGM. The petition has been adjourned to May 31, 2023. As such, the Company’s AGM will go ahead as planned on May 10, 2023.
In its statement, Seplat Energy refuted all allegations made in the petitions, which, it said, given their almost identical wording, are clearly part of an orchestrated attempt to damage the company in response to its efforts to improve corporate governance by eliminating related party transactions and implementing other governance initiatives.
The statement, which was announced pursuant to Rule 17.10 of the Rulebook of the Nigerian Exchange, 2015 (Issuer’s Rule)was authorised for publication by Independent Chairman, Mr. Basil Omiyi, on behalf of the Board of Seplat Energy PLC.
