It looks as if Lotus putting Dany Bahar's custom Esprit up for sale may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. The disgraced former CEO, sacked in June of this year, has filed a wrongful dismissal case against the Norfolk car maker and its new Malaysian owner DRB Hicom. Bahar claims that under the terms of early termination in his contract he is owed £6,737,240.
DRB-Hicom, which bought Lotus parent company Proton in January, said at the time of his departure, Mr Bahar had been removed from his post following an audit into the running of the company and an unspecified complaint against him by the conglomerate.
In a claim form filed by Bahar's London-based solicitors, he has asked for a declaration that he will be entitled to either a payment equivalent of five per cent of the "enterprise value" or the allotment of shares of equivalent value on the sale or listing on any stock exchange of Lotus Group International Ltd or any group companies.
Bahar's replacement at Lotus, Aslam Farikullah has responded, saying: "Dany Bahar was dismissed after a comprehensive investigation into his stewardship of Lotus. Lotus will vigorously oppose any claim made by Mr Bahar and believes it has acted properly at all times."
Paul Healy - 28 Aug 2012