After placing Dany Bahar under suspension for two weeks pending an internal investigation for misconduct allegations, the Malaysian owners of Lotus have now confirmed that they have fired him from his post as the chief executive officer of the British sports car maker.
Lotus issued the following statement on the matter:
“Group Lotus plc (“Lotus” or the “Company”) can today confirm that, Mr Dany Bahar has been terminated from his employment as Chief Executive Officer of Lotus with immediate effect. The decision was made by the Board of Group Lotus plc following the results of an investigation into a complaint made against him by the company’s penultimate holding company, DRB-HICOM Berhad.”
While neither Lotus or its parent company DRB-HICOM Berhad have explained the reason why Bahar was being investigated, a report from the UK’s Telegraph suggested that it is believed to “relate to expenses claimed by the former chief executive and restrictions placed on Lotus’s £270m debt facility by a consortium of Asian banks”.
Bahar had left Ferrari to join Lotus in 2009.
In the same announcement, Lotus said that it has appointed Mr Aslam Farikullah as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer with immediate effect. The 51-year old executive is a graduate of the University of Bath, England with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Engineering and was head of vehicle manufacturing for DRB-Hicom.
Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil, Group Managing Director of DRB-HICOM Berhad and also Chairman of Lotus said:
“I would like to assure you that we remain committed to ensure the ongoing and future business operations of the Lotus Group as we take the Lotus Group to the next level to remain relevant in the global automotive industry. I look forward to bringing mutual benefits to not only DRB-HICOM and PROTON Holdings Berhad but also the Lotus Group and its employees as well as contribute to the growth of the British automotive industry.”
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