Carlos Ghosn (69), the former head of the three-way alliance of car manufacturers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi has sued automaker Nissan for more than $1 billion. This emerges from a copy of the lawsuit that was filed with the Lebanese public prosecutor’s office last month and is available to various news agencies. The May 18 lawsuit alleges that Nissan, along with two other companies and 12 named individuals, includes defamation, slander and defamation and falsification of evidence.
It’s the next escalation in the Ghosn drama. The CEO had once forged the car alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi and was considered one of the most influential industrial bosses in the world. His arrest in Japan had caused an uproar in the car industry at the end of 2018. In a dramatic escape, Ghosn was smuggled out of the country in 2019 – hidden in a box on board a private jet. He has been living in his homeland of Lebanon ever since, also to avoid the trial in Japan. Since then, he has repeatedly protested his innocence in public appearances and made sharp allegations against the Japanese judicial authorities, who are still investigating him under criminal law to this day.
Allegations against Ghosn include embezzlement, misappropriation of company assets for personal gain and violating securities laws by underreporting his compensation. Nissan has also filed a civil lawsuit for damages against the ex-manager in a court in Yokohama; the Renault group has repeatedly distanced itself from Ghosn. In the spring of last year, France’s judiciary against Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon issue an international arrest warrant.
“The serious and sensitive allegations against me will linger in people’s minds for years to come,” Ghosn said in the lawsuit, according to Bloomberg news agency. He will suffer from them for the rest of his life as they have lasting and lasting effects, even if they are only suspected. Ghosn is seeking $588 million in lost compensation and costs and $500 million in penalties in the lawsuit.
Specifically, he also names around a dozen people whom he holds responsible for the alleged conspiracy. These include two board members, an office worker for the CEO and other top people, some of whom are also cooperating with the Japanese public prosecutor’s office in their investigations into Ghosn.
A Nissan representative said the company has not yet received the lawsuit and therefore cannot comment on Ghosn’s claims. According to the Lebanese authorities, a hearing in the case has been set for September. Judiciary officials assume that Nissan and the accused will send representatives to Beirut or appoint a Lebanese lawyer. It is unclear whether Japan’s authorities will cooperate. Conversely, the Lebanese authorities will probably not extradite Ghosn either; there is no corresponding agreement between the countries. Lebanon has received three communications from Interpol based on arrest warrants for Ghosn in Japan and France.
Ghosn’s lawsuit is the culmination of his attempt to salvage his reputation so far. “You can’t plan lies and cheats and get away with it,” Ghosn told Bloomberg over the phone. He doesn’t think the wrong can be undone because the damage is so great – “this is meant to repair some of the damage.”
According to earlier reports, the Japanese prosecutor’s office had also issued an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn (57). She is not a French citizen and could be extradited to Japan should she attempt to leave Lebanon.