Ghosn sues Japanese car alliance in Netherlands

Carlos Ghosn has filed a lawsuit against his former employers Nissan and Mitsubishi in the Netherlands, who ousted him as chairman of the Japanese car makers’ alliance following charges of financial misconduct.

Mr Ghosn, currently under house arrest in Tokyo, is suing the alliance for €15 million (Dh61.9m) in severance pay and arrears because of the errors made when he was dismissed, Dutch newspaper NRC reported yesterday.

“If you as a company want to dismiss a director, you must make clear to him before the dismissal what he is accused of and provide him with the underlying documents so that he can defend himself,” Laurens de Graaf, lawyer at BarentsKrans law firm, told the newspaper. “That did not happen with Ghosn and makes the dismissal questionable.”

Mr Ghosn was employed until May by Nissan-Mitsubishi BV, a joint venture of the Japanese car manufacturers, established in the Netherlands. The former executive was arrested in Japan last year and sacked by Nissan on charges of misdirecting company funds. Mr Ghosn was also fired as the chief executive and chairman of Renault, the French car maker. Nissan and Mitsubishi have said Mr Ghosn improperly received $9m in compensation from their venture.

Mr Ghosn was never allowed to view that investigation despite several requests, the lawyer said. His client is “relieved” that he now has access to the Dutch courts, “who is not led by pressure from large corporations and politicians”, NRC reported.

The Amsterdam court is dealing with the case and a trial date is still unclear.

Mr Ghosn has been a tax resident of the Netherlands since 2012, as the executive who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, opted for the more fiscally friendly Dutch nation.