Old Mutual Ltd. is pushing back against assertions laid out in two articles in the City Press related to the insurer's ongoing case with fired CEO Peter Moyo.

The South African insurer said it was "unfairly attacked" and not given the chance to respond. "The articles displayed an overt partisan bias and clear misunderstanding of the facts," the company said in a statement.

Moyo was suspended in May and fired in June over alleged conflicts of interest. Reuters subsequently reported that Moyo plans to sue the insurer over his firing. In July, the insurer confirmed its intent to file court papers objecting to the former CEO's application to be reinstated. Later that month, it revealed plans to appeal a High Court decision to grant Moyo temporary reinstatement.

"In our view, the filing of our application for leave to appeal has, in the meantime, suspended the original order," Old Mutual said.