- Roger Brown, CEO Seplat Energy violates immigration law by practicing in Nigeria without authorization from the Minister of Interior.
- The CEO is forced to carry out his duties from the Company’s UK office.
The Nigerian federal government has filed a lawsuit against the CEO of Seplat Energy, Roger Brown, and the company for allegedly breaching provisions of the Immigration Act. Brown and the company are accused of allowing him to accept employment as CEO without the approval of the Controller-General of Immigration, conspiring to allow Brown to take over as CEO without the consent of the Minister of Interior, allowing Brown to accept employment as CEO after his visa, resident, and work permits had been withdrawn, and for not seeking approval from the Comptroller-General of Immigration before employing Brown as CFO and CEO. The four-count charge could result in a fine or imprisonment if found guilty.
Although the defendants have been served, an arraignment date is yet to be set. This comes after the FG revoked Brown’s visa, resident permit, and work permit over allegations of racist practices, discrimination against Nigerian employees, favoring expatriate workers, and breach of good governance codes. Seplat Energy had passed a vote of confidence in Brown, who continues to carry out his duties from the company’s UK office.