**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER**

 

I, Lorrie T. Olivier, certify that:

 

1)              I have reviewedthis annual report on Form 10-K of Transmeridian Exploration, Inc.;

 

2)              Based on myknowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this annual report;

 

3)              Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this annual report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, andfor, the periods presented in this annual report;

 

4)              The registrant’sother certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and have:

 

a.               designed suchdisclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the registrant, including its consolidatedsubsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularlyduring the period in which this annual report is being prepared;

 

b.              evaluated theeffectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of theend of the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

 

c.               presented in thisannual report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosurecontrols and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date; and

 

d.              Disclosed in thisreport any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reportingthat occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (theregistrant’s fourth fiscal quarter) that has materially affected, or isreasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control overfinancial reporting; and

 

5)              The registrant’sother certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recentevaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee ofregistrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions):

 

a.               all significantdeficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which couldadversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial data, and have identified for the registrant’s auditors anymaterial weaknesses in internal controls; and

 

b.              any fraud, whetheror not material, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

 

 
| Date: March 30, 2004                       |
|-------------------------------------------------|
|                                            |
|                                            |
| /s/ Lorrie T. Olivier                           |   |
| Lorrie T. Olivier                               |
| Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |

 

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