Energy company, Seplat, has said that it has provided the necessary documentation about its Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brown, to the Nigerian government.

Seplat said this on Thursday, hours after the news broke that the Federal Government has filed charges against Seplat Energy Plc and its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Roger Brown, for an alleged breach of the Immigration Act, 2015.

In a corporate notice filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, Seplat said that it was aware of the suit against the company and some of its directors and officers.

“The suit is in relation to the immigration status of Mr Roger Brown and the withdrawal of his immigration visa by the Ministry of Interior.

“The Company refers to its Announcement of March 9, 2023, and continues to follow the rule of law and uphold high standards of corporate governance. Seplat Energy remains confident that it has provided all of the required documentation to the Ministry of Interior and the judicial process will address the circumstances appropriately,” part of the statement read.

In its March 9 statement, Seplat had denied allegations levelled against Brown by some petitioners. The allegations include racism, favouritism for expatriate workers, discrimination against Nigerians, and breach of the good governance code.

Seplat in the statement claimed that “These allegations are a spurious and vindictive reaction to the enforcement of corporate governance standards in the Company by the Board of Seplat Energy.

“Over the past decade, Mr Brown has earned an unblemished record of service and leadership in the Company.”

In its suit, the FG alleged that the defendants allowed Brown, whose visa was earlier revoked, to accept employment as the CEO of the company, without the statutory approval of the Controller-General of Immigration or the consent of the Minister of Interior.