BharatPe, which finds itself in the middle of a controversy involving co-founder and managing director Ashneer Grover, has clarified that it has not fired any employee, including Grover, at this juncture.
The statement was released following a report that claimed that the fintech company has decided to terminate the services of Grover. The news report further claimed, citing unnamed sources, that an internal audit initiated by the company unveiled financial fraud.
On Saturday, BharatPe announced it initiated an independent audit of the “company’s internal processes and systems” but did not acknowledge any wrongdoing within the company so far.
Through its legal firm, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, the company had appointed Alvarez and Marsal, a leading management consultant and risk advisory firm to advise the Board on its recommendations. “The Board strongly believes in protecting the interests of all stakeholders, including customers, employees and partners,” BharatPe noted.
“The Board remains committed to an independent and thorough audit process. No action has been taken or will be taken till the audit has been completed,” the company said in a fresh statement on Saturday.
It was also reported that Grover’s wife Madhuri Jain Grover, who is the Head of Controls at the fintech company, has gone on leave. Earlier, the BharatPe co-founder taken a voluntary leave of absence following a controversy involving a viral audio clip in which he was heard verbally abusing a Kotak Mahindra Bank employee. The audio clip was posted on Twitter by an anonymous handle following after which more instances of Grover’s alleged uncouth behaviour came to light. On January 19, BharatPe said Grover has taken a voluntary leave till March end.
Grovers later sent a legal notice to Kotak Mahindra Bank, for failing to provide financing in the IPO of FSN E-commerce Ventures, the holding company of Nykaa, and to allocate its shares during the public offer in the HNI category. The private lender said it will pursue the matter legally along with an audio clip matter.
