Former Managing Director of BharatPe, Ashneer Grover, has written a letter to the company board seeking a written apology from CEO Suhail Sameer and the management, in the absence of which, Grover said, he would file a criminal defamation case against BharatPe’s CEO and seek damages from him. Grover also said in the letter, which was seen by BusinessToday.In, that his sister Ashima Grover also reserves the right to approach Women Commission and appropriate authorities against Sameer’s behaviour. Grover has also demanded the resignation of BharatPe Board Chairman Rajnish Kumar.
The fresh charges come in the light of a viral Linkedln post on Thursday where Grover was seen replying to a company executive over non-payment of salaries. Grover asked the BharatPe management to clear the dues of the employees. His pleas were supported by his sister, Ashima Grover. BharatPe’s CEO Suhail Sameer in turn replied to Ashima Grover’s comment and alleged that her brother siphoned-off all the money from the company and the firm is thus unable to pay the employees.
“The Indian Board members should help translate the literal meaning of the statement along with the demeaning tone to the foreign Board members. He said: ‘Aashima Behen – tere bhai ne saara paisa chura liya. Very little left to pay salaries.’ This was in response to a post put by an employee in admin team who was terminated without reason and whose salary/reimbursements was not paid for months — making him desperate to seek his dues on social media. Suhail’s reply is not only blatantly defamatory, it is inappropriate language towards any female on social media and tone deaf to the trials of a poor admin level employee seeking his dues. It is also blatantly public lie and admission of the Company being bankrupt by no less than its own CEO and member of the Board – the same Suhail Sameer had less than couple of months ago claimed more than US$ 500 Mn in the bank account of the Company,” Grover said in the letter addressed to the board.
Notably, Sameer had, in a response to the original Linkedln post, commented: “Friends – I apologise to have irked many of you. In hindsight, it was out of line. We are already working on past employees full and final being paid out. My comment was a reaction to a particular statement, not the post. But I accept the mistake. I request you to also have patience, and refrain from building a story based on false narrative..”
Business Today has reached out to BharatPe for comments. The story will be updated as and when the company responds.
“Going by precedents and self-proclaimed high standards of this Board, the CEO should be immediately served a show cause notice for his despicable public behaviour and immediately put on leave of absence to manage the damage on the Brand of the company. Suhail has to conclusively prove to the Board that he was not under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he put the said reply on LinkedIn.
The said reply was put in the wee hours of 7th March after a night of drunken debauchery by Suhail at BharatPe’s offsite in Goa, videos of which are attached for your perusal and all over social media. Moreover, Suhail Sameer’s all dealings should be audited by an independent auditor and he should only be reinstated as CEO once the audit report has been tabled with the Board and exonerates him of any wrong doing. Anything lesser in terms of action here would undeniably prove what is a fact – that what was done to me was a well-planned discriminatory conspiracy by the Board at behest of investors, not a governance review,” Ashneer Grover wrote.
Grover last month resigned from the post of MD in BharatPe due to a governance review by the fintech firm over alleged financial irregularities by Grover and his wife, Madhuri Jain, who was also the Group Head – Controls, at the company. BharatPe had earlier said that it may take a legal route if the charges against Grover are upheld by the probe. Grover, meanwhile holds nearly 7.5 per cent stake in BharatPe.
