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Carlos Ghosn says he will face a fair trial in France and calls the timing of his arrest warrant suspicious
Carlos Ghosn has stated that he will be given a "fair trial" in France following an arrest warrant in the latest of a series of charges leveled against the disgraced former auto executive. Speaking to news in Beirut o...
Updated: 49 months ago2 min read
he was surprised to learn about it from a newspaper rather than from authorities.
Carlos Ghosn has stated that he will be given a "fair trial" in France following an arrest warrant in the latest of a series of charges leveled against the disgraced former auto executive.
Speaking to news in Beirut on Friday, Ghosn said he trusted the French justice system to treat him fairly, even if the media and broader society did not.
"I believe I will be given a fair trial," he told CNBC's, Hadley Gamble. "I will not be treated fairly, but I will be given a fair trial," he said, referring to the media's disproportionate coverage of lavish parties and excessive spending as an auto CEO.
On Thursday, the former Renault-Nissan executive who famously skipped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon in a box was issued an international arrest warrant by French authorities.
The warrant is in connection with an investigation into allegations of 15 million euros ($16.2 million) in suspicious payments made between Renault and an Omani car dealership during Ghosn's tenure. The allegations include theft of company assets, corruption, and money laundering.
Four others, including current or former Suhail Bahwan Automobiles owners or directors, were also arrested.
Who was arrested in Japan in November 2018 and charged with multiple financial misdeeds while leading Nissan. Ghosn has denied all allegations.
The timing is suspicious.'
Ghosn said Friday that the arrest warrant did not surprise him, describing it as a "natural process" for French investigators. However, he stated that he was surprised to learn about it from a newspaper rather than from authorities.
"What surprised me was that I found out about it by reading in an American newspaper," he said, referring to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story on Thursday.
Ghosn went on to say that the warrant's timing was "suspicious," given the upcoming French presidential elections on Sunday.
In the run-up to Sunday's presidential run-off, President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen have taken tough stances on CEO pay as public scrutiny of France's top executives intensifies. The French government is also Renault's largest shareholder.
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