Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn has denied allegations of financial misconduct, claiming he had no intention of making false reports, Japanese media said Sunday. The Brazil-born tycoon, who headed the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, has not spoken publicly since he was arrested last Monday. He told prosecutors he did not intend to understate his income on financial reports, public broadcaster NHK said.
Meanwhile in France, economy minister Bruno Le Maire Sunday said Renault had launched an internal audit into Ghosn's pay. "Renault's new governing body has launched an audit (...) into questions of pay and abuse of corporate assets to make sure there is nothing tricky to be found," the minister told BFM television.
The audit which will take "several days" was being carried out "in full agreement with the government" which hold some 15 per cent of Renault's capital, Le Maire said. Japan has provided no information on the charges against Ghosn, the minister also said.
Ghosn was sacked as Nissan chairman Thursday, a spectacular fall from grace for the once-revered boss whose arrest and ouster have stunned the business world. Prosecutors accuse Ghosn and fellow executive Greg Kelly of under-reporting the former chairman's income by around five billion yen ($44 million).
Kelly also denied the allegations, saying Ghosn's salaries were paid appropriately, news reports said. Local media reported that Nissan had formed a "secret" team earlier this year to probe the alleged financial misconduct. A small team involving Nissan's board members carried out its internal probe confidentially on concerns about possible destruction of evidence by Ghosn, Japan's Kyodo News reported, quoting unnamed sources.