New step in the so-called “Carlos Ghosn” affair. French justice issued, Thursday, April 21, an international arrest warrant against the former boss of Renault-Nissan. The 68-year-old businessman, who was to be tried in Tokyo on suspicion of financial embezzlement, has lived in Beirut (Lebanon) since his incredible flight from Japan at the end of 2019.
This arrest warrant was issued in the context of of the judicial information opened on February 12, 2020 by the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office, in particular for misuse of corporate assets, money laundering and corruption. What does this decision mean? What will happen to Carlos Ghosn? What is he accused of exactly? Response elements.
1What does this arrest warrant mean?
This international arrest warrant is worth indictment. If he is executed, the ex-boss will be directly presented to an examining magistrate, in Nanterre, who will notify him of the charges against him. But Carlos Ghosn lives in Lebanon, a country that does not extradite its nationals, and the Lebanese authorities have banned him from traveling.
“This mandate is 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.reacted Jean Tamalet, one of the businessman’s lawyers.
2Why is Carlos Ghosn in Lebanon?
Carlos Ghosn had fled Japan hidden in a box of audio equipment. He had justified this escape by claiming to have wanted “escape from injustice”believing to be the victim of a “conspiracy” Japanese authorities. For having evaded Japanese justice, the former boss is thus under an arrest warrant from Interpol.
Since his escape, Carlos Ghosn has lived in Beirut and remained discreet, refraining from commenting on the troubled political and economic life of the country and giving lectures at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik. In an interview at Parisian, last February, he assured that he wanted to return to France. “For now, I can’t come back”he said in this interview.
“France is there, it remains; the governments, they pass. Of course that the day when I can, I will go to France”, he explained. And Carlos Ghosn to denounce the “deadly stab by the French government and Renault’s board of directors”the car manufacturer having instituted civil proceedings in this case.
3What does French justice accuse him of?
A few months after the arrest of Carlos Ghosn in Tokyo in November 2018, Japanese justice suspecting him of having failed to declare part of his income at Nissan, Renault had reported to the French courts that his ex-boss had received for his “personal benefit” a benefit in kind of 50,000 euros under a sponsorship agreement with the Palace of Versailles.
Judicial information had been opened by the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office in February 2020 and the investigation was then due to the interest of the French judges for suspicious payments (nearly 15 million euros) between the Renault-Nissan alliance and the company Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA), the distributor of the diamond brand in the Sultanate of Oman. In June 2021, magistrates notably traveled to Beirut for five days to question Carlos Ghosn.
The investigating judge in charge of the investigation also issued four other international arrest warrants against “the current owners or former managers of the Omani company SBA“, according to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office to AFP. Justice accuses them of money laundering or corruption.
4How did Renault and the executive react?
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said on BFMTV that he would not “no comment”calling for “let justice do its job”. Same story on the side of Emmanuel Macron. “I’m not going to comment on what is a court decision that is made independently”, said the president, candidate for re-election, on France Inter. And the head of state to wish “that justice can do its job with everyone, any national who is”.
The Renault group, which had never expressed itself until now, “takes note of the decision of the magistrates”told AFP his lawyer, Kami Haeri. “This is a major step which can be explained by the seriousness of the new facts which have been brought to light following meticulous investigations bringing to light hidden financial relations involving several million euros between Carlos Ghosn and the founders and SBA leaders”he added.