In a new twist to the Nissan and Carlos Ghosn saga, the discredited former Nissan and Renault boss who jumped bail in Japan and escaped to Lebanon has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan in the court of Lebanon.
The case and the escape
Carlos was detained in Japan in November 2018 after allegations of financial misconduct involving a plot to underreport his remuneration surfaced.
After this, he spent 13 months in the custody of Japanese Authorities or under certain bail conditions, including 24-hour home surveillance. However, Carlos dodged the trial in Japan after a daring escape to Beirut in an audio equipment case in 2019, taking advantage of the fact that Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.
Carlos managed to flee from Japan in December 2019 while on bail. He smuggled inside a box to store musical equipment before arriving in Lebanon via Turkey in a private jet.
After his escape made headlines worldwide, an investigation revealed that Michael and Peter Taylor, an American father and son duo, helped transport Carlos from a hotel to the airport on the day of his escape.
The duo were deported from the US earlier this. They accepted their mistake and apologised to the Japanese people and authorities for their role in escaping Carlos Ghosn. They could face three years in prison.
Renault to Nissan and the growing partnership
In 1999, Renault sent him to help rejuvenate the ailing Nissan, which was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, after a deal was struck between the French and Japanese auto manufacturers.
He later became the executive of both car manufacturers and expanded the alliance by involving Mitsubishi Motors in 2016.
The lawsuit also highlights this alliance plan he was working on to link the three automobile companies in a more extensive partnership with Fiat Chrysler.
He alleges that the plan to make this partnership irreversible started a conspiracy at Nissan to remove and defame him. He also claims efforts made by Nissan to compensate him to stop him from potentially leaving to join a rival global carmaker.
‘A conspiracy hatched to defame me.’
The financial lawsuit comes after a court in Tokyo found Carlos and his former colleague Greg Kelly guilty last year of helping Carlos hide part of ¥9.3 billion ($80.4 million) of his income from financial regulators.
The 69-year-old in the lawsuit claimed that the severe accusations against him would stay in people’s minds, and he would suffer for the rest of his life by facing the consequences of allegation based on mere suspicion.
Hence he is seeking $588 million in lost compensation and costs and $500 million in punitive measures. Besides Nissan, the lawsuit is also filed against a dozen people, including two Nissan board members, whom Carlos accuses of hatching a plan to expel him from the company.
Lebanon’s court has given the date in September for the first lawsuit hearing. However, a representative for Nissan clarified that the company had not received any lawsuits.
