ALBAWABA – Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Nissan Motor Co., filed a lawsuit against the Japanese car manufacturer for more than $1 billion in damages, news agencies reported Tuesday.
Ghosn claimed that the company inflicted “deep damage” to his finances and reputation by having arranged for his arrest on allegations of financial misconduct after ousting him in 2018.
He filed his lawsuit with the public prosecutor in the Court of Cassation in Lebanon, Bloomberg reported. He has been residing in Lebanon since his dramatic escape from a Japanese prison in 2019 to flee trial.
According to Bloomberg News, the lawsuit was submitted on May 18.
A judicial source told Reuters the prosecutor has a scheduled a court session on September 18.
The lawsuit claims $588 million in lost compensation and costs, as well as $500 million in punitive measures.
Nissan’s shareholders also suffered losses after the company squandered its first-mover advantage with respect to electric vehicles, according to the news agency. Ghosn is no longer a shareholder in the Japanese company.
The lawsuit accuses Nissan along with two other companies and 12 named individuals of crimes including defamation, slander, libel and the fabrication of material evidence, Reuters reported.
A representative for Nissan said the company hasn’t yet received the lawsuit nor are they aware of it. Therefore the company can’t comment or make anyone available for comment on Ghosn’s claims, both Bloomberg and Reuters confirmed.
Ghosn was sent by Renault in 1999 to turn around Nissan, which had been struggling before receiving a cash injection from the French company.
He later became chief executive officer of both companies and chairman of the alliance.
