The sprawling Carlos Ghosn affair is experiencing a new twist this Friday.
French justice issued an international arrest warrant on Thursday against the ex-boss of Renault Nissan, now based in Lebanon.
VIDEO.
“I decided on all the details”: Carlos Ghosn recounts the underside of his escape from Japan
We take stock of this case which began in November 2018 with the arrest in Japan of the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman on suspicion of concealing income, and which took an incredible turn with his flight to Lebanon in December 2019.
What exactly are we accusing him of?
In France, the ex-boss of Renault Nissan is targeted by two procedures.
The first concerns the Dutch subsidiary of the alliance: Renault-Nissan BV and led to the opening of a judicial investigation in 2019 in Paris for "misuse of corporate assets" and "passive corruption".
This holding, had, according to Release, "no own activity", "zero employees" and was used "mainly to pay generous emoluments to top management", including Carlos Ghosn but also Rachida Dati, whose name appears in the file.
The former Keeper of the Seals appointed by Renault-Nissan BV to develop the alliance in the Middle East and Africa would have received 900,000 euros between 2010 and 2012. The French criminologist Alain Bauer, consultant for security issues, hired 2011 is also cited in the complaint.
The second procedure was opened in February 2020 by the Nanterre public prosecutor's office and targets the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman, suspected in particular of misuse of corporate assets, money laundering and corruption.
It aims to shed light on nearly 15 million euros in suspicious payments from Renault to a company based in Oman (SBA).
The money would have ended up being invested in the business of Carlos Ghosn's son and various assets, including a yacht, which would have benefited the Ghosn family.
What do we know about this new arrest warrant?
It was issued by the Nanterre investigating judge in charge of this last procedure.
"It is not an arrest warrant issued by France but by the court of Nanterre during an ongoing investigation", also reacted Jean Tamalet, one of Carlos Ghosn's lawyers.
Four other warrants were also issued by the prosecution and target the current owners or former managers of the Omani company SBA.
This international arrest warrant is worth indictment.
In other words, if he is executed, Carlos Ghosn will be directly presented to an examining magistrate, in Nanterre, who will notify him of the charges against him.
Does he risk extradition to France?
The businessman, already targeted by an arrest warrant from Interpol, is currently protected from Japanese justice in Lebanon, a country which does not have "judicial cooperation" or extradition agreements with the Japanese country. .
In addition, he has Lebanese nationality, which in theory prevents him from being extradited to another state, since the country of cedar does not extradite its own citizens.
But Carlos Ghosn also has French nationality and that could change everything.
“Lebanon accepted in 2019 the extradition to the United States of a binational, Ali Salamé, who held Lebanese and American nationalities”, recalls William Julié, lawyer specializing in criminal defense and human rights. , joined by Le Parisien.
Still more stuck in Lebanon
One of the businessman's lawyers, however, opposed this Friday, "the ban on leaving Lebanese territory", which Carlos Ghosn has been subject to since January 2020, to this new mandate.
But for William Julié, "this ban on leaving Lebanese territory has no direct effect on the French mandate".
If the Lebanese justice forced him to stay in Lebanon and confiscated his French passport, it was precisely because it resumed the Japanese procedure in the meantime and wanted to warn of a new flight from Ghosn.
Read also Carlos Ghosn case: why the former boss of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance lets go
While waiting to know the reaction of the Lebanese justice, the pressure is therefore increasing more and more on the businessman.
“Now targeted by two international arrest warrants, Carlos Ghosn is further blocked in Lebanon,” explains the lawyer.
In an interview with Le Parisien last February, the ex-boss of Renault had nevertheless confided in wanting to return to France.
“I am French, I was educated in France, I lived in France, I have a very deep tie (…) Of course that the day when I can, I will go to France”, he had proclaimed .
His return is probably not for now.
