The wife of Carlos Ghosn accuses Nissan of conspiracy to avoid a merger with Renault

Carole Ghosn, the wife of former Nissan president, Carlos Ghosn, has accused Nissan of having her husband arrested in a conspiracy of the board of directors in order to avoid a merger with the French manufacturer Renault.

Carlos Ghosn, who was also CEO of Renault during his arrest last year, was charged in Japan with financial crimes while he was Nissan CEO. Ghosn, who resigned as president of the Japanese automaker in 2017, has denied the charges, which include alleged embezzlement by Nissan to a Saudi businessman and friend. .

"We know it's a conspiracy." Nissan did not want this merger, "said Carole Ghosn in an exclusive interview with Sara Eisen on CNBC's" Closing Bell, "which is expected to air at 4 pm. AND Wednesday.

"Some people within Nissan have decided to get rid of my husband, it's the easiest way to not proceed with the merger," she said. "There may have been a more civilized way of doing it."

Nissan spokesman Nicholas Maxfield refuted Carole Ghosn's claims, saying "the only cause of this chain of events is the fault committed by [Carlos] Ghosn. "

The company also has an entire section on its "Malpractice" website that details the charges against Ghosn and his former MP Greg Kelly.

"Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of behavior that is clearly unethical," said Maxfield, adding that the board had voted at the # 39, unanimously eliminate the two men. "Other discoveries related to Ghosn misconduct continue to emerge."

Ghosn has been arrested again this month for new charges of misusing companies' money. He always refused to sign a confession and accused Nissan and unidentified corporate members of having "acted sneakily" and committed a "coup de force". ;State".

Nissan has rejected a merger proposal with Renault in April. The offer was made shortly after Nissan removed Ghosn from the board, thus ending his 19 years with the company. The companies are linked by a long-standing operational alliance with Japan's Mitsubishi, which further complicates matters.

The Italian-American car manufacturer Fiat Chrysler announced a merger proposal with Renault last week. Carole Ghosn said "it is clear that Nissan does not want to be involved and that they do not want anything to do with it."

"I think that with time, this story will become clearer and people realize now that it was a conspiracy against my husband," she said. declared.

Hiroto Saikawa, CEO of Nissan, said Monday that Fiat Chrysler's proposed merger "would require a fundamental review of Nissan's existing relationship with Renault."

-CNBC & # 39; s Paul Eisenstein contributed to this report