By Emeka Ugwuanyi
Seplat Energy said the Federal High Court in Abuja has formally stricken 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.
In a statement signed by Mr. Basil Omiyi, Independent Chairman, on behalf of the entire Board of Seplat Energy PLC, the charge had earlier been withdrawn by the Nigerian Immigration Service on the 20th April (RNS Number : 9385W) and was in relation to the immigration status of Mr.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 16 May 2023 – please refer to the Company’s Announcements of 10 March 2023 and 6 April 2023.)
The new case also included a request to restrain the Company from holding its Annual General Meeting on 10 May 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 31 May 2023. As such, the Company’s AGM will go ahead as planned on 10 May 2023.
Seplat Energy refutes all allegations made in these petitions, which, 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.
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