TOKYO (AP) — Nissan will still seek to act in court against former President Carlos Ghosn even though he escaped from Japan to Lebanon, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday. Ghosn was involved in serious irregularities while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance, the company denounced in a statement.
“The company will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the damage its irregularities caused to Nissan,” he said, without giving further details. Ghosn faces charges of mishandling. Free on bail, he managed to leave the country even though he was heavily guarded while living in a house in Tokio.Es Nissan’s first statement since Ghosn escaped last week. The Japanese automaker and prosecutor’s office claim that he hid financial compensation from the Japanese authorities and diverted funds from the company for his personal benefit. The former manager claims he’s innocent.
Ghosn has not been seen in public since his arrival in Lebanon. He is expected to give his side of the story at a press conference Wednesday in Beirut.
He had previously said that the accusations against him were invented by Nissan, the Japanese authorities and others who wanted to prevent the attempt edify a total merger between the Japanese automaker and its French ally Renault SA. In a statement issued last week, Ghosn said he wanted to escape “injustice.” Detractors of the Japanese judicial system claim that their case exemplifies the tendency of the Japanese justice system to act too slow and to keep suspects in detention for a long time.
Nissan said in its statement that an investigation is underway in France, and that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has already found some irregularities.
Ghosn has not been formally charged in France or the United States.
