There were luxury stays at the Rio carnival, festivals at the Cannes festival, feasts at the Château de Versailles, a Cartier watch, air travel for personal reasons, donations to Lebanon … In total and in ten years, Renault and Nissan have assumed nearly 10.9 million euros of personal expenses of Carlos Ghosn, according to the results of the internal investigation conducted on the accounts 2009-2018 Renault Nissan BV – RNBV, the Dutch structure common to two partners.
Launched at the beginning of the year, the investigations conducted by Mazars within this rather opaque entity are coming to an end, and their conclusions should be presented to both companies in the near future. If most have already been unveiled, especially in Les Echos, this is the first time that a global amount is unveiled.
Cartier invoice for 29,000 euros
The former boss of Renault thus organized the day of his sixtieth birthday, on March 9, 2014, a sumptuous evening at the Palace of Versailles , starred chef and fireworks on the menu. Officially, it was to celebrate the 15 years of the Alliance – but Carlos Ghosn and his future wife Carole had especially invited to the party many of their friends. Amount of the bill, more than 600,000 euros.
The listeners have also flown expenses related to several stays at the Cannes Film Festival, between 2015 and 2018, in a luxurious palace of the Côte d’Azur, for the couple Ghosn and some of their friends. Or, a trip to several hundred thousand euros at the carnival in Rio in February 2018, for twenty people, who are housed at the expense of the Prince. The private jets of the company would also have, according to the investigators, been widely used for the needs of the family. A few million euros are involved. The listeners even found a Cartier bill for 29,000 euros. Hard to justify in professional fees …
Transfers to a distributor in Oman
Finally, remain expenditure incurred by RNBV for ’causes’ unrelated to its purpose social. In particular, donations to universities in Lebanon (the American University of Beirut, the Jesuit College Notre-Dame de Jamhour, or Saint Joseph University, also located in the Lebanese capital), but also to the American School of Paris, where studied the son of Carlos Ghosn. This figure does not take into account the expenses related to the consultants: the investigators thus wonder about the invoiced expenses – the names of Rachida Dati or Alain Bauer were mentioned – and about the services carried out in return.
Carlos Ghosn, who was released on bail on Friday, has denied any illegal action since the beginning of the case. The companies he led for nearly 20 years should ask the court to decide. After Nissan in Japan, Renault could in turn transmit new elements to justice. The French group has already reported several dubious acts: the use of a philanthropy partnership with the Palace of Versailles for a private party , and the transfer of funds to a distributor in Oman , which would have indirectly financed the purchase of a private yacht or the start-up of Carlos Ghosn’s son. The new management of the manufacturer could also file a complaint.