Why Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn was arrested

Ghosn's career spanned decades, and during all these years, his insightful and sometimes qualified behavior has been observed. Before the arrival of Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, Ghosn was the undisputed leader of the rockstar in the automobile. And he acted as if he knew it.

Anyone who saw the movie "Patton", winner of an Oscar in 1970, knows the famous speech delivered by George C. Scott, who represents the American general during the Second World War:

For over a thousand years, the Roman conquerors returning from wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, of a tumultuous parade. In the procession, trumpeters, musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, accompanied by carts loaded with treasure and armaments captured. The conquerors climbed into a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners marched chained before him. Sometimes his children dressed in white stood beside him in the chariot or mounted the reference horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a gold crown and whispering in his ear a warning: all glory is ephemeral.

Ghosn, as Nissan's CEO and, later, as chairman, might have had some lieutenants who whispered in the ear, but rather as if he had had a yes-man signing his statements.

Ten years ago, this arrangement made sense. Ghosn had associated Renault and Nissan in an alliance that went against both manufacturers. Japan and France were happy. But more recently, when Ghosn resigned as Nissan CEO, cracks surfaced. He had fought with the French government, which controls 15% of Renault, on his remuneration. His pay was also controversial in Japan, where he was an outsider who earned much more than his Japanese counterparts at other major automakers.

Ghosn might not care, because he was always less paid than other CEOs. But was it still worth it? The addition of Mitsubishi to the alliance gave the triumvirate an extra wingspan, but the troubled automaker was not expected to add much to the alliance's North American business, where Nissan's new flagship company was not a big deal. was clinging to market share by accumulating profits through discounts from slow selling models.

The magic touch of Ghosn seemed to fade. The spell he had been casting for a long time was breaking. And maybe that meant a closer look at how he ran a very distant global company.

A "survey" of the Japanese authorities "has shown that for many years, Ghosn and [board member Greg] In the report on the securities of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Kelly said compensation amounts lower than the actual amount, in order to reduce the amount of compensation communicated by Carlos Ghosn, said Nissan in a statement released the week last, after the detention of Ghosn in Japan.

"In addition, with respect to Ghosn, many other significant acts of misconduct have been discovered, such as the personal use of the company's assets, and Kelly's deep involvement has also been confirmed. "

Obviously, it is still allegations and, because of Japanese law, Ghosn can be detained for weeks without charge. The worst scenario, of course, is that he is completely guilty. In this case, its downfall would be unprecedented in the history of the industry.