Exclusive: Carlos Ghosn On His $1.1 Billion Lawsuit And The “Strange Conflict” At Nissan

Exclusive: Carlos Ghosn On His $1.1 Billion Lawsuit And The “Strange Conflict” At Nissan

Share to Linkedin Carlos Ghosn built his reputation as the leader who rescued Renault from near bankruptcy and then did the same at Nissan after orchestrating a powerful alliance that ultimately included Mitsubishi Motors. That alliance was poised to potentially expand to include Fiat Chrysler when Ghosn was suddenly arrested after landing in Tokyo on November 19, 2018 on charges of allegedly underreporting his compensation to the Japanese government. The former auto industry titan then spent more than 100 days in a small, unheated jail cell—a detention that the UN Human Rights Council described as "arbitrary and unlawful." Released on $8. 9 million bail and put under house arrest, he dramatically escaped Japan in an audio equipment box, saying the charges against him were politically motivated and he had no chance of a fair trial. He now lives as a fugitive in Lebanon, where he recently filed a $1. 1 billion lawsuit against Nissan and a dozen executives. That's where he joined me on Tuesday to talk about his lawsuit, the state of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, Elon Musk, electric vehicles and more. The lawsuit, which seeks $588 million in compensation and $500 million in punitive damages from Nissan and a