Shareholders of advertising giant WPP are expected to approve the payment of up to £19m in bonuses over the next four years to its former chief executive.

Sir Martin Sorrell resigned four weeks ago amid allegations of serious personal misconduct which he denied.

The BBC understands that around 25% of votes cast at the AGM will oppose ongoing payments to Sir Martin.

He turned a former wire shopping basket company into a $20bn ad giant.

Sir Martin Sorrell may no longer be the chief executive of advertising giant WPP, but he will be the reluctant star of the company’s AGM today – in absentia.

The rise and fall of the king of advertising

WPP should come clean over Sorrell exit

After more than 30 years in charge he resigned on 14 April this year after an investigation into a whistleblower’s allegations of personal misconduct.

Sir Martin has strenuously denied allegations that company money was used to pay a prostitute.

Sources close to WPP claim that at some point during the investigation, lawyers appointed by the company shared information with Sir Martin’s advisers, after which Sir Martin decided to step down.

But this version and sequence of events has been rejected by sources close to Sir Martin as “completely untrue”.

Blood in the boardroom?

So why did Sir Martin resign? What did the investigation turn up? What could have ended a 33-year career in which he had turned a £250,000 wire basket-making shell company into a global advertising colossus? Why did Sir Martin conclude that his position was untenable?