In June, new Lotus owner DRB Hicom fired the British sports car maker’s CEO, Dany Bahar, after placing him under a two-week suspension. The official reason cited for his termination was “the results of an investigation into a complaint made against him by the company’s penultimate holding company, DRB-HICOM Berhad”.
Now Businessweek reports that 40-year old Bahar (pictured above with Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda) has filed a claim against both Lotus and its parent company, DRB-Hicom, for wrongful termination of his employment and asks for a US$10.6 million compensation.
Bahar, who left Ferrari in 2009 to become Lotus’ new CEO, pushed for an ambitious plan that was based on launching five new models that would help the Hethel-based company break even by 2014.
DRB, whose lawyers were notified of the lawsuit on August 23, said that it would “vigorously” oppose Bahar’s claim.
“Dany Bahar was dismissed after an investigation into his stewardship of Lotus”, was DRB’s official response. “We believe we have acted properly at all times”, the company added, though it did not shed any light on the reasons for sacking Bahar.
By Andrew Tsaousis
PHOTO GALLERY
