Dany Bahar sues DRB-Hicom over alleged wrongful termination from Lotus

Dany Bahar sues DRB-Hicom over alleged wrongful termination from Lotus

Dany Bahar, who was dismissed by DRB-Hicom recently, is lawyering up to face his former paymasters. He is suing for alleged wrongful termination and is filing a suit in London’s High Court, as reported by Swiss newspaper Bilanz.

In a nutshell, Lotus’ ex-top man was given the marching orders over the misuse of company funds. An investigation commissioned by DRB-Hicom has revealed that Bahar have been using company money to remodel his home as well as the misuse of private jets and helicopters. You can read more of Bahar’s boot here.

In the same Bilanz report, Bahar has denied all allegations pertaining to his dismissal. DRB-Hicom is keeping mum over the matter.

So, is Dany Bahar right and DRB-Hicom had jumped the gun in his sacking? Or does DRB-Hicom have another card to play? As they say, the plot thickens.

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Chris Ng

Chris Ng believes that all cars are made equal, and each one has its own unique story to tell. As such, the ex-advertising man is here doing what he truly loves, which is authoring the allegories and anecdotes of automobiles. Having served time in a motoring mag, he believes there's nothing more sublime than keeping the pedal floored and things burbling in top gear.

 

Comments

  • awesome!

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    • Anybody who loves lotus would be sad to see what is happening to bahar. After all, it is he who is spearheading the turnaround for lotus which until then was top notch.

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  • why awesome?coz DRB being used?

    typical englishman dog…woff wooff

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    • rozanne on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      englishman dog? another silly comment from Proton lovers. Malaysian people being used every day with our national car policy, and what would u say bout that?

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      • Gabla on Jun 20, 2012 at 8:07 pm

        Once again Tony Fernandez showed Proton a much cleaner way to do something:
        http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/ansar-ali-steps-down-caterham-ceo

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    • Lim Kopi on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:18 pm

      Btw, he’s not English, abit of Turk as well.

      Look, nobody knows what really went on inside, it could very be that DRB Hicom kicked him out since taking over, as they have their own interest to protect and obviously their own man for the job. U know la, GLCs doing business is always something to do POLITICALLY.

      So when u start doing shit like that to the wrong people, u get bitten !

      The truth shall prevail!

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    • Matthew on Jun 20, 2012 at 4:34 pm

      Errrrrrrm, don’t know if you had noticed but he is Turkish.
      This message brought to you by another typical Englishman

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    • Gabla on Jun 20, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      The law on employment elsewhere is different from Malaysia. Hope the company is ready since this will be a long fight.

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      • Apanama on Jun 21, 2012 at 8:47 pm

        yes..I hope DRB will lose the case and learn the lesson of using the right channel and procedure in terminating an employee..you can do it in M’sia because majority of the workforce aren’t aware of their own rights..Sooo..the new management of DRB at Proton must be ready for consequence of their harsh treatment of Proton staff lately

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  • Good good.. what we all heard are just speculations, now let the cat out of the bag!

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  • pelams on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    malaysia is getting famous worldwide… with najib’s trial in france, n this suit in london, bla bla bla

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    • Felix on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:23 pm

      That why the Proton never really improve, even the Proton MD also resigned.

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      • seriously,with these two things happened.. is not a good start for an acquisition.

        skeletons will be revealed? who knows :)

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      • that danny bahar surely hide lots of skeletons in his closet

        thank God DRB sacked him fast!

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    • Najib trial never exist..find if there is a trial..only political sensation only…if u put najib future in law…that one is confirm trial…. drb that a whole diff story

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      • zidane on Jun 21, 2012 at 9:31 am

        biasa la bro… asal news dari oversea mcm Vancouver, Phnom Penh, France… mesti dipercayai bulat2…

        foreigner is always right to this guys…

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    • Lim Kopi on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:19 pm

      Thats the problem when u have idiots running the country and big businesses …

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  • BERSIH 4.0 on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:44 pm

    I will get my popcorn & soda ready to watch the blockbuster movie of the year :)

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  • rozanne on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    Proton, with or without DRB-Hicom will never improve. They instead will improving how they suck people money while delivering bad products. Preve, a world class car? Go and try sell it abroad. See how many they can sell. Proton worshipers bashing Toyota and Kia cars like hell but at least these companies competing in world stage. Proton? Jaguh kampung. Too many excuses. Sure my comment will get many unlikes..but reality is hard to swallow isn’t?

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    • the reality is preve will be sold at australia this sept..guess what?the OZ more preferring proton than japs,even at UK,some police dept are using waja

      thats the reality people like u will hard to swallow

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      • In Austrialia or UK,i don’t think they will choose Preve over the other entry level good brands,good products like Nissan,Mazda,Kia,Hyundai or VW…

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      • Police department in UK using Waja? You got to be kidding me. I hardly see any Protons here at all ! Oh guess what, Waja here is much expensive than Mini Cooper. What would you get? Waja? LOL And another fact is in UK people prefer 3 door cars than 5 doors. So think before you talk. -__-

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      • Kumes on Jun 21, 2012 at 8:33 am

        police in yorkshire use proton waja (impian), wira (persona), and gen 2’s. I submitted a photo of the waja police car to paultan a few years ago, try searching for it.

        proton does reasonably well in the poorer parts of the UK due to cheap drive away costs. there is also a pretty hardcore satria GTI club in the UK.

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    • Preve, a world class car
      it will started to sell abroad this september

      at least much better quality than its chinese or even korean counterpart

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  • fencesitter on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    No politic here please. Go to another site. We are neutral here. Disgusting!

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  • fencesitter on Jun 20, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    No politic here please. Go to another site. We are neutral here.

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    • Lim Kopi on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:21 pm

      U feel challenged isit when ppl talk politic?

      This is a GLC matter la, of course cannot avoid talking about politics.

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      • robby on Jun 20, 2012 at 7:08 pm

        Proton sold to DRB, no more Khazanah. don’t simply tembak.. you typical Malaysian! no wonder we’re moving backward because of ignorance people like you.

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      • kambinganas on Jun 20, 2012 at 10:41 pm

        @robby

        Proton is still a national car with govt protection. It makes no difference between DRB or Khazanah, it is still the same bunch of crooks robbing us of our hard earned money.

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    • Frank on Jun 21, 2012 at 12:34 am

      btw you know who owns DRB..?

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      • Lim Kopi on Jun 21, 2012 at 3:07 pm

        Is it Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary ? A beloved UMNO Crony…

        Read more about him:
        http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mp-warns-parliament-of-exposure-to-syed-mokhtars-mounting-debt/

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      • Apanama on Jun 21, 2012 at 8:49 pm

        who knows who own DRB actually.I believe the guy is just a figure to cover plenty of faces behind DRB (the actual owner)

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  • Nice nice nice….. good luck DRB.

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  • Justice for Dany!

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  • Cheah Tat Cheong on Jun 20, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    This is just a snapshot of how Proton is being run, just like how Malaysia is also being governed. Heck, remember the wonderful family who was given RM250 Mil to run a cow farm? Now the assets are frozen, there’s a pending court case and one minister resigned.

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    • koochai on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:44 pm

      nope…the minister refuse to resign…
      lucky for us malaysians the senatorship term is up…

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  • Lotus is making loss, yet a head of the company spend like hell, do you think he’s a good leader? Yes, it’s his entitlement as spell out in his contract, but to spend it just prove that his personal enjoyment and fame is more prioritise than making money for Lotus.

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    • Zagato on Jun 20, 2012 at 11:44 pm

      You are talking nonsense. If it is your entitlement and if you really believe your plan will work out, you will spend the money. Remember that he was head hunted to lead Lotus.

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      • beatnik on Jun 21, 2012 at 8:29 am

        Of course he is entitled for the privileges.. but he’s spending even before the company (Lotus) is making profit. Not a good boss I would say.

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  • I don’t even drives a Proton but doesn’t mean I hate the company. Be grateful people, they are one of the biggest employer in Malaysia, not to mention their vendors and other networks. I bet most of us here have some kind of links to Proton, and get a fair share of the cake without realising it. For this dude, I never like the his attitude from the start. What ever DRB did, lets hope they will put the right person the replace him. Never sell Lotus.

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    • “Be grateful”, “links to Proton”… bla bla… did I smell “CRONY”?

      Absolutely true, most of us have some kind of links to Proton – because we all pay hefty taxes BECAUSE of Proton.

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      • Kidrock on Jun 21, 2012 at 1:28 am

        The hefty tax for imported car is not really to protect plotong….. But it is another way used by gov to do a day light robbery from you with plotong being made as a scapegoat…pity you hihihi

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      • so which country ask you to pay lesser tax? UK? cheaper cars with 40% income tax?

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    • You are right.

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    • beatnik on Jun 21, 2012 at 8:33 am

      That’s the problem.. some people do not realize that without Proton and government policies, a lot car manufacturers will setup factories here in Malaysia.. thus will create more work opportunities.. and local companies can become good vendors. If not of the ‘strict’ policies, Toyota, Mazda, Ford etc will surely setup their plant here.. why do u think they end up in the neighboring country?

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      • Cosmo Artemis on Jun 21, 2012 at 3:50 pm

        How you know that they will setup factories here? How about India and Thailand, which have a lesser manpower cost and cheaper parts?

        In Bangkok area alone, there are 10 millions inhabitant; let’s say 50% of it are in the 20-50 years old of age. So that’s means 5 millions people are fighting for jobs. Therefore, they willing to get a lower pay just to get a spoon of rice.

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  • This is a normal action by anyone.

    Even a small fry in a big company can go to industrial court if he feels that he’s being sacked wrongfully.

    But this doesn’t prove anything.

    Let the court decide.

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  • Drogbaby on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    You can eat my pudding !

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  • All this is too distract everyone from their real matter at hand which is yet to be addressed which is ‘We still don’t know how to build half decent cars’

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  • abdul123 on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    DRB-Hicom is run just like our government,
    on an ad hoc basis.

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  • abdul123 on Jun 20, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    This is the result of DR M National Car Project.

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  • goguncas71 on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    The termination was done after the reports was done on Lotus by Ernst & Young and a team Rothschild Group so I think there is basis. But things like this almost never go to court – both sides will settle it privately in the end.

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  • Sgt Scoop on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    I’m not sure why anyone would feel happy or sad about this. Are there Dany Bahar fans out there? Or DRB-Hicom fans? What has this got to do with Malaysian politics? Do people even read these stories or do they just go straight to the comments box to put in a dig at Proton?

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    • Black Dog on Jun 20, 2012 at 5:12 pm

      Sadly, everything in Malaysia has to do with politics…..and religion. That is the sad reality!

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  • Black Dog on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    That’s exactly what i predicted will happen. How can he just quit without a fight. He probably learned this ‘misusing funds’ thingy from some higher ups in P1. Malaysians are famous for it, not kweilos

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  • matlimmutu on Jun 20, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    so bad this dany bahar guy!!

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  • What a shame. A good automotive news site has turned into a political circus by a bunch of commenting clowns. Where the hell is the moderator?

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    • abdul123 on Jun 20, 2012 at 4:57 pm

      Of course it’s politics. Our government is so involve
      in the car industry.
      We are not clowns but the government is.

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      • robby on Jun 20, 2012 at 7:12 pm

        any govts have to be part of the industry. wth are you talking about? even US govt bought a direct stake in a carmaker.

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  • Peter on Jun 20, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    Yes … politic or not, these ppl definitely deserve the rights to comment on this issue. We’re Proton’s customer and DRB’s behavior has caused lot of unease. Delisting of Proton, CEO resign, ex-Top man get sacked … etc. all come in a series! Tell me this got nothing to do with politics !?

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  • Poweeerrrrrrr on Jun 20, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    Dany bahar dasar anjing keji.

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  • Chow 1 on Jun 20, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    Why sue ex-employer? They have paid you after all…Next time who dare to hire you? ha…

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  • thebugbud on Jun 20, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    What we see is juz outside and public info. What happen inside is up to anyone imagination. Do I like proton to suceed? Ya. Do I want proton to be fair and not a burden to rakyat? Ya. Do I want proton to be independent and recognised? Ya.

    What proton need is free hand, no gov intervention and no politics. That will give proton a fair chance to compete. No one knows the future. It’s up to proton to make or break without assistance then proton will earn it’s rank and place in ppl’s heart.

    Frankly, proton has improved much since TM days. What proton needs is more freedom and spread it wings without all the political burdens.

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  • Black Dog on Jun 20, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    Somebody please arrest this extremist!

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  • flat_tire on Jun 20, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    dany bahar.. the face of a jerk.. and a douchebag..

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  • KillBox1Alpha on Jun 20, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    I’m sure DRB was expecting this to happen.

    Sue them for evetything they got…hahahaha

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  • mr wolfgang on Jun 20, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    For your info ,lotus jz secure a loan total of rm one bilion frm the malaysian bank n spending it..after these so call loan proposal was rejected by british bnk..

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  • What has his mother got anything to do with this???

    Be more sensible and get a life dude!

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  • arch747 on Jun 20, 2012 at 11:06 pm

    Hahaha. Kalau aku jadi Danny aku pun akan sue ex-employer. Dia pun tau, mana nak carik lagi syarikat kereta yg boleh sponsor his fast & expensive lifestyle walaupun tiap2 tahun kompeni yg dia sepatutnya manage asyik rugi jer. Mesti buruk rupa resume/CV dia bila nk carik kerja lain. Masa planning nk buat turnaround utk lotus aritu tu pun bank Msia yg sponsor. Bank kat LownDown tu smua x berani nk sponsor.
    About time somebody need to do something of Lotus, sacking Dany is a good start.

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  • Poweeerrrrrrr on Jun 20, 2012 at 11:13 pm

    Anjing kurap punyer danny bahar ni. After this dia pulak jadi gayboy nak tampung renovation rumah dia haha

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  • Bongcs on Jun 21, 2012 at 1:00 am

    2012

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  • He should sue proton for conning the money of the rakyat!

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  • Bersih 4.0 on Jun 21, 2012 at 4:21 am

    He is just following the example of proton of how they con the rakyat. He just observe and learn.

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  • Bahar chose not to resign but let Lotus fired him, so that he can sue Lotus for the mis-conduct.

    I am sure DRH Hicom sees this coming. Instead of continue paying Bahar lots of money, they chose to let the lawyer get the cash. I prefer the later.

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  • RedLine on Jun 21, 2012 at 10:55 am

    I’ve read in other US and UK-based auto blogs, and from what I’ve seen, apparently this Dany Bahar does not have a good reputation. There is very little info on the alleged wrong doing itself…although I’ve read that Dany used Lotus company’s money to renovate this personal house….or something like that. I don’t know what is going on here.

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  • RedLine on Jun 21, 2012 at 11:07 am

    I think DRB-Hicom should counter sue. Baru padan muka si Dany Bahar ni.

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  • Rakyat on Jun 21, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    Can we sue proton for conning us?

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  • RedBeanBun on Jun 21, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    When you are doing business in UK, it is govern by UK law, NOT the Msian law even though its a Msia company. Lets see what is the outcome. I am not surprise DRB lost the case.

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  • BanyakMasyukWang on Jun 22, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    DRB has landed their punch on Bahar in order to get him out. Now it’s Bahar’s turn to counter-punch in order to clean his image, and what’s a better place to do so rather than in court? Now lets wait and see. After all, having tussle in court for a rather internal matters is no good for a business image. If DRB can cough out billion to take over Proton group, than paying some penny to Bahar to shut him up is a matter?

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