Lotus boss Dany Bahar has been fired from his position as head of the Norfolk-based sports car firm.

In a statement released on Friday, Lotus confirmed that Bahar had been ‘terminated from his employment as Chief Executive Officer of Lotus with immediate effect’.
The move follows news of his suspension two weeks ago after Proton owners DRB-Hicom started an ‘investigation into a complaint about his conduct’. The details remain under wraps, but it was reported that the inquiry may have concerned expenses.

Following the announcement that Dany Bahar has been suspended from his position as CEO of Lotus pending an investigation into irregularities, Proton has announced that the Norfolk car company will not be sold…for the time being.Lotus is owned by Malaysian company Proton, which is owned by Malaysian corporation DRB-Hicom, so ultimately the power to sell lies with the latter. However, it’s Proton that’s released the latest statement, aimed at dampening rumours that Lotus is about to be flogged off.”We acknowledge that Lotus can provide value to Proton. Lotus is an iconic brand with global presence and positioning, coupled with unsurpassed engineering expertise and a talented workforce,” says Proton chief exec Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil in the statement.

Late on Friday afternoon, news broke that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar (pictured right) had been suspended, with Lotus confirming earlier rumours but stopping short of saying exactly why. It’s the latest in a string of bizarre and/or controversial things to come out of Lotus recently.But according to a report in The Telegraph, expenses are at the centre of Mr Bahar’s suspension. Lotus owner DRB-Hicom hasn’t confirmed this, but has said Mr Bahar has had his laptop and mobile phone confiscated.