The sacked former chief executive of loss-making Group Lotus has filed a wrongful dismissal suit, the British sports car maker's Malaysian parent has said.
Dany Bahar is suing Lotus and Malaysia's DRB-HICOM for 6.7 million pounds ($10.6 million) over his June dismissal, DRB-HICOM said in a filing late Monday with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
But DRB-HICOM, a leading car distributor and importer, said it would file counter-claims of its own against Bahar, who took charge of Lotus in 2009, and defended the sacking.
"DB (Bahar) was dismissed after an investigation into his stewardship of Lotus. We believe we have acted properly at all times," it said.
DRB-HICOM took over struggling Malaysian national automaker Proton from state investment arm Khazanah Nasional in January. Proton owns Norfolk-based Group Lotus.
Bahar was sacked in June, despite recently launching a five-year plan to turn around Group Lotus that aimed to boost production and launch new models.
Proton bought a controlling stake in the British sports and racing car maker in 1996.
Proton has said it was committed to turning around Lotus by 2015 but has itself been mired in debt.