French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Nissan and Renault, who jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon in a dramatic getaway.
The warrant was issued in relation to 15 million euros in suspect payments between the Renault-Nissan alliance that Ghosn once headed and Omani auto dealer Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA).
Ghosn, former chief of Nissan and head of an alliance between Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, was detained in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, along with his top aide, Greg Kelly.
They both denied wrongdoing.
News of the warrant was first reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
A scoop from @Nick_Kostov: Carlos #Ghosn now faces a criminal case in France as well as Japan. French allegations involve the "Oman route." https://t.co/cFA7HKqOdC
— Peter Landers (@LandersWSJ) April 22, 2022
Ghosn cannot, however, be extradited to France from Lebanon.
One of his lawyers, Jean Tamalet, said the French warrant was "very surprising because the investigating judge and the Nanterre prosecutor know perfectly well that Carlos Ghosn, who has always cooperated with justice, is subject to a judicial ban on leaving Lebanese territory".
Questioned over the warrant, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, said: "I won't say a word, it's a judicial affaire."
In December 2019 as he awaited trial, Ghosn staged a sensational getaway, smuggled out of Japan in an audio-equipment case on a private jet.
Ghosn holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian passports. He landed in Beirut, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.
He said he fled because he did not believe he would get a fair trial in Japan, where prosecutors have a nearly 99 percent conviction rate in cases that go to trial.
He also said that Nissan colluded with prosecutors to have him arrested because he wanted to deepen the Japanese firm's alliance with Renault.
French prosecutors have been investigating the alleged misuse of funds at Renault since 2019.
They are also looking into spending on lavish parties held on the ground of Versailles palace.
(with AFP)
