GHOSN TO FACE 4TH CHARGE?
Luxury boat allegedly used by ex-Nissan chief may have been paid for by company funds
PROSECUTORS are considering pressing a fresh charge on former Nissan Motor Co chief Carlos Ghosn, said local media yesterday, which would be the latest twist in the auto tycoon’s dramatic downfall.
Investigators are eyeing a possible aggravated breach of trust charge related to at least US$32 million (RM130.58 million) in Nissan funds transferred to a distributor in Oman, according to local news agency Jiji Press.
Some of the money was believed to have been used to buy a luxury boat allegedly used by Ghosn and his family, according to a source.
If prosecutors were to move forward with the case, it would be the fourth criminal charge against the 65-year-old former high-flying executive, who denies all allegations.
Ghosn already faces three charges of financial misconduct over allegations he under-reported his compensation and sought to transfer personal losses to Nissan’s books.
Prosecutors were discussing the case with more senior colleagues before deciding whether to proceed, said the media.
If prosecutors were to file new charges, it would not necessarily mean Ghosn returns to the detention
centre where he spent more than three months before winning bail on March 6, said a lawyer.
“The prosecutor can hit Ghosn with new charges without sending him back to prison. Prosecutors would need to again justify a detention by saying he was a flight risk and could destroy evidence and the chances seem fairly slim,” said the lawyer.
The news came after it emerged that lawyers for Renault have handed over documents to prosecutors showing “millions of euros” in payments to the firm’s distributors in Oman.
An internal probe by Nissan, which is cooperating with prosecutors, has found Ghosn had approved over US$30 million in payments to a distributor in Oman, a source confirmed.
Some of this money ended up in personal accounts, or used for purchases and investments by Ghosn, the person added.
Meanwhile, Ghosn promised to “tell the truth” at a news conference next week, taking to Twitter to announce his first briefing since being released on bail and hours after the report that prosecutors were preparing a fresh case against him.
“I’m getting ready to tell the truth about what’s happening. Press conference on Thursday, April 11,” Ghosn tweeted from the @carlosghosn account on Twitter, which displayed the blue tick mark indicating it had been verified by the social media site.
The account was created this month. It was the sole tweet, posted in Japanese and English.