French Investigators to Meet Carlos Ghosn in Beirut on Jan. 18

(Bloomberg) -- French investigators will arrive in Beirut on Jan. 18 to speak with Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, as part of a probe into expenses, according to an official in the Lebanese judiciary and a person close to the former auto executive.

The French team will be joined by Lebanon’s state prosecutor, according to the Lebanese official, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. The French Justice Ministry and a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo almost two years ago and accused of financial misconduct. He has denied wrongdoing and escaped to Lebanon last December hidden inside a large box.

Last month, Ghosn said French criminal investigators would question him in 2021 as part of a separate investigation of expenses covered by a Dutch subsidiary of Renault and Nissan. Authorities in France are looking into interactions with a car distributor in Oman and spending on events and trips that may have been personal, as well as payments made by Renault-Nissan BV to consultants.

Ghosn has not been charged and has agreed to cooperate with the inquiries, which are at the preliminary stage, according to the person close to his team, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The French team will be in Beirut until Jan. 22, they said.

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