Nissan is sued for $1 bln by Auto capitalist Carlos Ghosn

June 21, 2023: On Tuesday, Auto capitalist Carlos Ghosn pointed out a $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan and many other people in Beirut over his detention in Japan and what he stated is misinformation spread against him, Lebanese officials expressed.

According to the officials, Ghosn’s suit charged Nissan and the individuals with defamation and “fabricating charges” against him, eventually putting him behind bars in Japan.

The lawsuit was filed in the previous month, the judicial officials stated, talking on condition of obscurity to discuss the case. The officials did not identify the individuals that Ghosn is accusing.

Ghosn was charged in Japan with breach of trust, which misuses company assets for personal gains, and breaking securities laws by not completely disclosing his compensation.

According to Judge Sabbouh Suleiman, who is at Beirut’s prosecutor’s office, a hearing date in the case was set for September.

The judicial officials who spoke to The Associated Press said that Nissan and the accused individuals are expected to send representatives to Beirut or name a Lebanese lawyer.

The 69-year-old Ghosn, who was the head of Nissan and Renault for two decades, has frequently said he is innocent. In December 2019, he jumped bail in Japan in a daring escape by hiding in a box spirited aboard a private jet out of the country.

Prosecutors in Japan have charged three Americans with helping Ghosn escape the country.

He now lives in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan and does not extradite its citizens. Renault and Nissan have both been distancing themselves from the Ghosn scandal. Ghosn has citizenship in Lebanon, France, and Brazil.

Lebanon has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants in Japan and France for Ghosn. In France, he faces several legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud, and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance.