- Carlos Ghosn Sues Nissan for Over $1 Billion
- Background: Carlos Ghosn’s Controversial Journey
- Ongoing Legal Battles and Extraditions
According to reports, former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has sued the automaker for more than $1 billion.
This is Mr. Ghosn’s most recent attempt to clear his name after being fired from the company in 2018 and arrested in Japan on financial misconduct allegations.
Mr. Ghosn stated that the allegations were intended to disrupt his plans to merge Nissan and Renault.
While awaiting prosecution in Japan, he fled in a box and returned to his native Lebanon.
According to Bloomberg and Reuters, the lawsuit filed in Lebanon accuses Nissan, two other companies, and 12 individuals of offenses including defamation and libel. September has been appointed for a hearing.
Nissan declined to comment.
Mr. Ghosn once oversaw the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, one of the world’s largest automakers.
He was jailed in Japan in late 2018 for underreporting his salary and using corporate assets for his extravagant lifestyle. He has refuted any wrongdoing and referred to the Japanese legal system as “rigged.”
His escape from the country, during which he disguised himself to go unnoticed through the streets of Tokyo and concealed in a large music equipment box, made headlines around the world.
Mr. Ghosn stated in the filing that the allegations would “linger in people’s minds for years” and that he would “suffer from them for the rest of his life, as they have persistent and lingering effects, even if based on mere suspicion,” according to Bloomberg.
In 2021, a father and son were extradited from the US and imprisoned in Japan for helping Mr. Ghosn escape.
After an inquiry into whether Mr. Ghosn misused corporate finances, the French authorities issued an arrest warrant in 2022. At the time, he expressed confidence in his ability to establish his innocence should charges be brought against him.
