{"id":126574,"date":"2021-05-28T00:46:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T00:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=126574"},"modified":"2021-05-28T00:46:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T00:46:30","slug":"carlos-ghosn-ousted-car-boss-says-his-downfall-was-like-being-hit-by-a-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/business\/carlos-ghosn-ousted-car-boss-says-his-downfall-was-like-being-hit-by-a-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlos Ghosn: Ousted car boss says his downfall was like being ‘hit by a bus’"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ousted car boss Carlos Ghosn has likened his downfall to being “hit by a bus” as he prepares to face questioning from French investigators over allegations of financial misconduct.<\/p>\n
Mr Ghosn, once the powerful leader of an alliance of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, fell from power after being arrested in Japan in 2018<\/strong> – before skipping bail and fleeing to Lebanon a year later.<\/p>\n He blamed the “people who organised the plot” to bring him down for the resultant “collateral damage” – with several associates facing jail or trial in Japan and Turkey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr Ghosn now faces legal challenges in France after the Japanese accusations triggered scrutiny of his activity there and the seizure of millions of euros of his assets.<\/p>\n The businessman has denied accusations relating to the alleged underreporting of his pay and misuse of corporate funds, claiming that he was the victim of a corporate coup.<\/p>\n Reflecting on his downfall, in an interview with the Associated Press news agency, Mr Ghosn said: “It’s like you have… a heart attack somewhere, or you’ve been hit by a bus. You change your life.<\/p>\n “All of a sudden, you are in a completely different reality and you have to adapt to this reality.”<\/p>\n Mr Ghosn said he had voluntarily agreed to days of questioning in Beirut by magistrates investigating claims of financial misconduct in France.<\/p>\n They are looking into the financing of lavish parties the businessman threw at Versailles, as well as €11m in spending on private planes and events arranged by a Dutch holding company and subsidies for a car dealership in Oman.<\/p>\n He denies any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While initially held in Japan, Mr Ghosn had been held in solitary confinement for months and not allowed to speak with his wife Carole.<\/p>\n He has said that he fled the country after it became clear he had “zero” chance of receiving a fair trial.<\/p>\n Mr Ghosn told the Associated Press: “In Japan, you had a Japanese person interrogating me, writing in Japanese and wanting me to sign things in Japanese that I don’t understand.<\/p>\n “Now I will be speaking in French, and I’ll have my lawyers present. Of course, I have much more confidence in the French legal system than in the Japanese system.”<\/p>\n Mr Ghosn added that he was “shocked” at a court ruling<\/strong> in the Netherlands last week throwing out his wrongful dismissal claim against a Dutch-based alliance between Nissan and Mitsubishi, and instead ordering him to repay €5m in pay.<\/p>\n The businessman said in his interview that he now spends his time preparing his legal defence, teaching, helping start-ups and working on books and documentaries.<\/p>\n He added that he had spent six months repairing his home after it was damaged in the massive explosion at a Beirut port last summer.<\/p>\n