Tycoon sues Nissan for $1 billion over ousting and imprisonment in Japan

Carlos Ghosn claims he has suffered monetary and reputational harm on account of his dismissal and arrest

The former head of Nissan Motor Corporation, Carlos Ghosn, has filed a $1 billion lawsuit towards the Japanese automaker, claiming that his dismissal in 2018 and subsequent arrest induced “deep damage” to his funds and fame.

The lawsuit was submitted on May 18 to the general public prosecutor within the Court of Cassation in Lebanon, the place the previous auto government has lived since his daring escape from Japan in late 2019. The news was reported by Bloomberg on Monday, and was later confirmed by Lebanese officers.

According to Bloomberg, Ghosn asserted within the lawsuit that “the serious and sensitive accusations will linger in people’s minds for years,” which means that he’ll “suffer from them for the remainder of his life, as they have persistent and lingering impacts, even if based on mere suspicion.”

Ghosn is in search of $588 million in misplaced compensation and prices, together with $500 million in punitive damages. Lebanon’s public prosecutor has reportedly set a listening to for September. A spokesperson for Nissan instructed Bloomberg that the carmaker had neither acquired the lawsuit nor was conscious of it. 

Ghosn, who led the Nissan-Renault automaking alliance for over twenty years, was arrested in Tokyo in 2018. The businessman was accused of hiding his revenue and enriching himself by way of funds to dealerships in different international locations.

The government managed to make a daring escape from Japan whereas out on bail. A workforce lead by former US Army Green Berets smuggled Ghosn by way of safety at Kansai International Airport in an audio-equipment field, and onto a non-public jet headed for Istanbul. 

After later arriving in Lebanon, Ghosn claimed he was escaping a “rigged” justice system in Japan and mentioned he meant to clear his identify.

Ghosn’s lawsuit additionally makes claims towards at the very least a dozen Nissan executives. They embody Hari Nada, who’s alleged to be one of many key instigators of the plot to oust Ghosn, and Toshiaki Onuma, a supervisor within the CEO’s workplace, who together with Nada, allegedly agreed to cooperate with Japanese prosecutors to keep away from prosecution. 

Claims had been additionally filed towards Hidetoshi Imazu and Hitoshi Kawaguchi, two senior Nissan managers with early involvement within the automaker’s actions towards Ghosn, and Masakazu Toyoda and Motoo Nagai, two of the corporate’s board members.

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