Carlos Ghosn Improperly Charged Renault for a $3,400 Scooter
Carlos Ghosn Improperly Charged Renault for a $3,400 Scooter
(Bloomberg) -- Carlos Ghosn improperly charged Renault SA for a 3,000-euro ($3,400) scooter, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest allegation by the carmaker against its jailed former chairman.
The two-wheeler was retrieved by Renault from its headquarters near Paris after company auditors questioned whether Ghosn was entitled to the benefit as part of his compensation, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public. The scooter was purchased in 2018, the person said.
A spokesman for Renault declined to comment as did his lawyer in Paris, Jean-Yves Le Borgne. A spokeswoman for the Ghosn family couldn’t be reached for immediate comment.
Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November on allegations of financial misconduct at the carmaker’s Japanese partner, Nissan Motor Co. He has denied the charges. Ghosn’s legal woes have shone a spotlight on his lavish lifestyle that included use of luxury homes in four countries, a corporate jet and a Marie Antoinette-themed wedding party at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris.
The scooter is a relatively small expense for Renault compared with Ghosn’s 7.4 million-euro pay package in 2017 and other details revealed by the carmaker from its investigation. Earlier this month, Renault said Ghosn made questionable payments to a distributor in the Middle East and an outside lawyer, and it raised concerns about expenses of several million euros by RNBV, a holding company also headed by Ghosn.
Ghosn was arrested again in Tokyo earlier this month, cutting short a brief release on bail that lasted 29 days. The former chairman of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has denied any wrongdoing, blaming Nissan’s top ranks for orchestrating a “very dirty game” against him. His current detention was extended by a Tokyo court until April 22.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ania Nussbaum in Paris at anussbaum5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Tara Patel
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