Nissan board to vote on Ghosn's sacking

AFP

Nissan board members looked set to oust disgraced tycoon Carlos Ghosn as chairman Thursday, after his spectacular arrest for financial misconduct sent shockwaves through the car industry and the business world.

Ghosn stands accused of under-reporting his income by millions of dollars and a host of other financial irregularities, in a stunning fall from grace for the once-revered titan of the auto sector.

The 64-year-old Brazil-born tycoon is credited with turning around the Japanese brand and forged an alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors that last year sold 10.6 million cars between them — more than any other firm.

Ghosn's fate appears all but sealed after his hand-picked replacement as CEO, Hiroto Saikawa, launched an astonishing broadside at his mentor following his arrest Monday at a Tokyo airport as he landed in his private jet.

Saikawa said "too much authority" had been placed in the chairman's hands and lamented the "dark side of the Ghosn era," as he called the board meeting to fire him.

Seven board members will vote on the motion to dismiss Ghosn, which needs to be carried by a simple majority. Insiders say Saikawa would likely not have suggested the ouster if he were not sure of backing from his fellow board members.

"This would not have been proposed if there had been any doubt and the results of the investigations have already been presented to the board members," a source close to the company told AFP.

Appointing a new chairman will take some time as it has to be approved by shareholders, but Saikawa is seen as front-runner.

'Spartan conditions'

Ghosn is being held in a Tokyo detention center and has not been seen in public nor made any comments since his arrest.

On Wednesday, local media reported that prosecutors had successfully applied to extend his custody for an additional 10 days as they step up their questioning.

Prosecutors believe Ghosn and an American executive Greg Kelly "conspired to understate Ghosn's income five times between June 2011 to June 2015," reporting a total of 5 billion yen in income (US$44 million) instead of the actual 10 billion yen.

According to local media, authorities also believe Nissan as a firm has a case to answer after a months-long investigation prompted by a whistleblower uncovered years of financial wrongdoing by Ghosn, including the misuse of company assets.

Public broadcaster NHK said Nissan had paid "huge sums" to provide Ghosn with luxury homes in Rio de Janeiro, Beirut, Paris and Amsterdam "without any legitimate business reason".

Ghosn had a reputation as a hard-nosed workaholic with no qualms about closing factories and slashing jobs — earning the nickname "Le Cost Killer" in France, where 47,000 employees work for Renault.

But his exorbitant salary and flashy lifestyle — at odds with Japanese corporate culture — drew fire and his current accommodation will be a far cry from his usual expensive surroundings.

"In principle, he will be all alone in a cell," lawyer Ayano Kanezuka told AFP.

"There is everything you need, heating, a bed but conditions are spartan," said Kanezuka's colleague Lionel Vincent.

'Couple divorcing'

The arrest has sparked questions over whether the alliance of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors can survive without Ghosn, seen as the glue holding together his fractious creation, which globally employs around 450,000 people.

According to the Financial Times, the fall from grace came as Ghosn was working on a full-blown merger of Nissan and Renault.

This was opposed by executives in the Japanese firm that has ended up being the most profitable player in the partnership and the FT said Ghosn's departure could be used as a pretext to rebalance the alliance in Nissan's favor.

Renault has held off jettisoning Ghosn, pointedly saying Nissan had failed to share the evidence it had gathered with its sister company.