After ten weeks in detention, how are you?
I am concentrated. I want to fight to restore my reputation and defend myself against false accusations. I am denied bail . It would not happen in any other democracy in the world. In front of me, there is an army. At Nissan, there are several hundred people dedicated to the business. At the prosecutor’s office, they are 70 to work on the case.
I am in prison for 70 days without access to a phone or computer. How could I defend myself? Do not underestimate the conditions in which I find myself!
What is the hardest?
When I sleep at night, the lamp is always on. I do not even have a watch. No notion of time. I only have 30 minutes a day to go out on the roof. The fresh air I miss so much. Yes I am strong, but I am tired of all that.
The worst part is that I can not talk to my family. Since 19 November, I have not been able to call my wife Carole and my children. My eldest daughter just celebrated her 29th birthday and I could not wish her a happy birthday. This is the first time I miss this opportunity. It’s very hard. Why am I punished before being convicted? I clearly have a huge disadvantage.
Do you feel that you are being treated harder than Japanese leaders involved in other cases?
I can not talk about other things happening in Japan. What I know is that since I was arrested on November 19, I find myself in very harsh conditions, facing an army of people who are constantly throwing me horrors in my head. It is not only the prosecutor’s allegations, but also those of Nissan. They come out a lot of facts from their context. It’s a distortion of reality to destroy my reputation.
At Nissan, the people who are at the heart of the charges are also the ones who are doing the investigation. These are people who were very deeply involved in Nissan’s legal affairs. It’s still very surprising. While me, I am denied any opportunity to defend myself well. I speak of equity.
Who are you talking about exactly at Nissan?
There are many people whose role is very strange and debatable. I like Japan. I like Nissan. I have nothing against the group. I have spent so many years reviving it, rebuilding it, and turning it into a powerful enterprise.
You say that you have fallen into a trap. But for what reasons?
Is it a plot, a trap? There is no doubt about it. It’s a case of treason.
And there are several reasons for that. There was a lot of opposition and anxiety about the project to integrate the three companies together (Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, Ed).
You talked about this Hiroto Saikawa integration project last September?
Yes, there was a meeting on the subject in September, but discussions started earlier. By the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018. I had told Hiroto Saikawa that if I decided to take another term as head of the Alliance, we would have to work much more on integration. We talked a lot about it at the beginning of last year, then the discussions slowed down between July and September, before resuming.
The goal was clear, but there was resistance from the start. But what are the other options to guarantee the stability of the Alliance?
What exactly was your scenario?
It was about creating a holding company who would have controlled the three entities and owned all the shares of the groups. And that, respecting the autonomy of each. But this system had to be based on the solid performance of each company.
And that was a problem?
Nissan’s performance has declined in the last two years. If you look at the results and the strengths of Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault, you can see that there is a problem. I did not expect what happened, but all this led to treason, conspiracy.
But did you plan to fire Hiroto Saikawa?
That’s not the way the question was asked, in terms of who or when. But when a company’s performance goes down, no CEO is immune to sacking. Nobody can escape. This is the rule in any business. There is no exception.
You have been denied bail on two occasions. What are you willing to do now to get it?
I did everything I could to show that I was not going to run away and to reassure them that I will not destroy any evidence. They are all already in the hands of Nissan.
You are suspected of having reduced some income?
I am accused of not reporting income that I have never received! I declared the least yen I received.
And on the currency swaps or the role of al-Juffali?
Nissan has not been cheated by these swap agreements or payments made to al-Juffali. Everyone knows that he helped us a lot in the region and in Saudi Arabia at the time. To dare to say today that he did not do anything is amazing. Moreover, the payments that were made to him were signed by four Nissan executives.
Why did you resign from Renault if you are innocent?
Renault could not be kept in a situation where governance was temporary. When I learned that my deposit was refused again, I decided to resign. But I would have liked to have the opportunity to explain myself to the board of directors of Renault.
I am so proud to have led this business from 2005 to 2018 and helping them grow into such a strong group in terms of profitability, growth, product quality and technology. That’s what I mean. The financial results from 2018 will be excellent.