The High Court of Botswana has brought a close to the protracted legal battle between Choppies co-owners Ottapathu Ramachandran, Ismail Farouk, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Botswana), along with former lead auditor Binedel Rudi.
On September 1, 2026, Justice Tapiwa Kganyago formalized a draft consent order that ended the proceedings. The order confirms that Ramachandran and Farouk have withdrawn their claims against PwC and Rudi, effectively concluding the case.
Regarding legal costs, the parties agreed to generally bear their own expenses. However, PwC was ordered to pay the plaintiffs’ costs related to three previous court orders issued on November 24, 2021, April 5, 2023, and April 1, 2025.
This development closes another chapter in the lengthy dispute that dates back to 2019, when Choppies accused its former auditor of misconduct.
Choppies Chief Executive Officer Ottapathu Ramachandran alleged that PwC and lead auditor Rudi Binedell wrongfully delayed the sign-off of the retailer’s 2018 financial statements. At the heart of the dispute were claims that PwC’s actions caused reputational and financial harm to Choppies and its shareholders.
The controversy intensified after Choppies was suspended from trading on both the Botswana Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange amid concerns over its financial reporting. The suspension hit the company at a critical juncture and led to legal action by its founders, who sought damages and blamed PwC’s conduct for some of the financial difficulties.
Ramachandran and Farouk argued that the audit process was mishandled and that PwC’s actions contributed significantly to the company’s troubles. PwC, in turn, defended its professional conduct and the circumstances surrounding its resignation as the company’s auditor.
The dispute unfolded into multiple legal battles, with the courts addressing issues related to the audit process, financial reporting, and the fallout from PwC’s resignation. Procedural questions and evidence disputes also featured prominently, resulting in several costs orders over the years.
The three costs orders referenced in the latest consent order were issued in 2021, 2023, and 2025.
While the September 1 order does not resolve all the historical allegations between the parties, it formally ends the particular proceedings involving Ramachandran, Farouk, PwC, and Rudi.
For Choppies and its founders, this marks the conclusion of a drawn-out legal saga that has shadowed the retail group for several years.
The case attracted significant attention due to the stature of the parties involved: Choppies is one of Botswana’s largest retail groups, and PwC is a leading professional services firm in the country. The conflict also underscored the tensions that can arise between publicly listed companies and their external auditors, especially when disputes emerge over financial reporting and corporate governance.
The consent order allows the parties to move forward without further litigation on this matter, although PwC remains obligated to settle the legal costs outlined in the earlier court orders.
This resolution comes more than seven years after the initial fallout between Choppies and PwC triggered the legal dispute.
