France issues international arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn

International

-DW News

Nanterre,
Apr
22:
French
prosecutors
have
issued
an
international
arrest
warrant
against
Carlos
Ghosn,
according
to
multiple
French
media
reports.

Ghosn,
the
former
chief
of
Nissan
and
the
head
of
an
alliance
between
Renault,
Nissan
and
Mitsubishi
Motors,
is
wanted
over
suspicious
payments.

Prosecutors
said
they
had
issued
a
warrant
over
€15
million
($16.2
million)
in
transactions
between
the
Renault-Nissan
alliance
he
headed
and
an
Omani
company,
Suhail
Bahwan
Automobiles
(SBA).

Prosecutors
say
the
transfers
allowed
Ghosn
to
funnel
millions
of
dollars
of
Renault
funds
for
his
own
personal
use,
including
the
purchase
of
a
120-foot
yacht.

In
response
to
the
reports,
Ghosn’s
spokesperson
said
in
a
statement
to
Reuters
news
agency:
“This
is
surprising,
Ghosn
has
always
co-operated
with
French
authorities.”

The

Wall
Street
Journal
earlier
reported
that
prosecutors
had
also
issued
arrest
warrants
for
four
other
people
allegedly
linked
to
the
auto
dealer
in
Oman.

Who
is
Carlos
Ghosn?

Ghosn
made
international
headlines
when
he
fled
Japan
while
facing
trial
for
financial
wrongdoing.
He
was
stashed
into
a
case
for
audio
equipment
and
smuggled
out
on
a
private
jet.

The
68-year-old
—
a
citizen
of
France,
Lebanon
and
Brazil
—
now
lives
in
Lebanon,
which
does
not
extradite
its
own
citizens.

He
claims
he
fled
Japan
because
he
would
not
face
a
fair
trial,
in
a
country
where
prosecutors
win
nearly
99%
of
their
cases.

He
initially
welcomed
a
French
investigation
into
his
case,
saying
it
would
clear
his
name.

Source: DW