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Auditors hired by Renault and Nissan seek explanations from Carlos Ghosn about about 12 million euros in business expenses in the fields of entertainment, haute couture costumes, private jet flights and other products luxury.
French auditors Mazars suspect that the expenses were made to Mr. Ghosn 's personal benefit in what turns out to be an important moment in the case against the former president of both automakers after his arrest in November.
In particular, Ghosn's legal team will explain the business case for organizing a banquet at the Château de Versailles in 2014.
The event took place on the occasion of Mr Ghosn's sixtieth birthday. It cost 635,000 euros to his former employer.
Mr Ghosn will argue that the event was a legitimate celebration of the Renault-Nissan alliance's anniversary and that it brought together guests closely related to both companies. Mr Ghosn organized the next day a separate birthday party, at his expense.
These payments, as well as others, were revealed in a survey conducted by Mazars, appointed this year by the two car manufacturers to investigate Renault-Nissan BV, the registered joint venture in the Netherlands.
Before the final results of the Mazars investigation are communicated to both automakers, the auditor will give Mr. Ghosn and his attorneys an opportunity to justify any payments they see as suspects, informed people of the situation.
The stakes for Ghosn, who is in Tokyo under strict bail conditions that prevent him from contacting his former colleagues, are important. When the report is finished, said people familiar with the situation, it will be sent to companies that may choose to sue Mr. Ghosn, report the results to prosecutors, or both.
Among the expenses, Mazars also estimated that his personal trips between Mr Ghosn and his family on business jets between 2015 and 2018 accounted for, according to them, about 4.8 million euros, especially in Ibiza in Sicily and Napa.
Mr Ghosn, told relatives of his legal team, will argue that the use of the jet was consistent with the professional life of a man who was simultaneously the head of three companies headquartered in four cities different.
Other payments include 1.7 million euros to entertain guests at the Cannes Film Festival, 2.4 million euros donations mainly to Lebanese universities and charities, 330,000 euros for a carnival party from Rio in 2016 and 2018, 29,000 euros for Cartier watches, 15,000 euros dinner at the Marmottan museum in Paris in 2015, with the family of his wife, 900,000 euros for a Lebanese law firm founded by his lawyer staff and 140,000 euros for Mr. Ghosn's badistant in Lebanon.
The relatives of Mr Ghosn stated that, through the intermediary of his legal team, he would deal with the conclusions of the Mazars investigation and stood ready to demonstrate that no personal expenses were involved. had been improperly billed to the company.
"This is part of a well orchestrated effort to turn Mr. Ghosn into a caricature and dismantle his reputation for integrity and excellence built over several decades. All of these expenses were allowed and tied to legitimate business objectives, "Ghosn's spokesman said.
The results also highlight a serious failure of Nissan and Renault's oversight and internal controls. The audit revealed that the Board of Directors had approved the annual budgets and financial statements for RNBV "without presentation or discussion", while the staff and officers of RNBV also had a "limited sense of ownership of the financial statements". ".
"Nobody had a complete picture of the financial flows of RNBV," Mazars said in his findings, according to a person informed of its content.
Nissan, Renault and Mazars refused to comment.
Mr. Ghosn was arrested in November and accused of underestimating his salary at Nissan and two separate breaches of trust offenses.
The former boss of Renault and Nissan denied all accusations and blamed his loss on a "conspiracy" and a "dirty game" on the part of Nissan executives opposed to his plan to merge the Japanese group with Renault .
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