BusinessLive reports that suspended Choppies Enterprises CEO Ramachandran Ottapathu has denied any wrongdoing and says he will challenge his suspension in court.  

Ottaputhu was suspended from 22 May amid a forensic investigation into past transactions involving the troubled retail group, and an investigation into its accounting practices.  On Monday, Choppies said it would tell the market “in due course” why it suspended Ottaputhu, after he lashed out at the company and apparently called on shareholders to attend an unauthorised meeting.  The group said its decision to suspend him “was as a result of an aggregation of activities and conduct”.  Ottapathu said in response that Choppies had failed to provide facts about the charges against him and that it was a case of “simple character assassination which does not give me a chance to defend myself.”  Ottapathu indicated that he would challenge his suspension in court “at the soonest opportunity”.  Meanwhile, Choppies said that a document "purporting to be a draft notice" of an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders had apparently been sent out by Ottaputhu on an unauthorised basis.

• Read the full original of Nick Hedley’s report on this story at BusinessLive
• Read too, Choppies’ says it will tell all in time as clash with suspended CEO heats up, at BusinessLive

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