Carlos Ghosn counterattacks in the Netherlands, Nissan opens a civil case in Japan and Renault files a civil suit in France, where an investigation is underway.
After Carlos Ghosn’s press conference on January 08 in Beirut, the parties involved in the legal battles were quick to react.
After an unsuccessful first attempt the day after Carlos Ghosn’s press conference, on January 29, 2020, Japanese prosecutors raided the offices of Carlos Ghosn’s Japanese lawyers with new grounds for search. According to the Wall Street Journal, the prosecutors presented a new warrant to seize memos and connection details of Mr. Ghosn on his computer. Carlos Ghosn’s former lawyers tried to oppose the seizure since these documents have already been brought to court, but their efforts were to no avail.
Two weeks later, in mid-February, Carlos Ghosn had the opportunity to counterattack in the Netherlands. In the notice presented to the Dutch court, Mr. Ghosn’s lawyers explained that not only had Mr. Ghosn not resigned from his position at Nissan, but that this procedure would make it possible to reveal the fact that Nissan’s executives, contrary to what they claimed, were fully aware of the existence of this employment contract. This resulted in a first procedural victory for the plaintiffs since the judge forced Nissan to establish an exchange of documents.
The following day, on February 12, 2020, Nissan diverted the conversation by attacking Carlos Ghosn, in Japan, before a civil court. Carlos Ghosn is the target of attacks in which Nissan is now claiming 90 million dollars (83 million euros) from his former boss. The basis of this claim is, once again, the internal investigation carried out since Mr. Ghosn’s arrest in November 2018.
Finally, in France, following the report of Renault, the Nanterre Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on February 19, 2020. In this context, Renault announced that it has filed a civil claim.