Renault to keep Carlos Ghosn as CEO

The board of the French car giant said an internal review found his pay package conformed with French law.

FILE - In this April 25, 2016, file photo, then Renault-Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn speaks during a press conference held at Auto China 2016 in Beijing, China. The surprise arrest of Nissan’s former chairman on charges of falsifying financial reports is providing a window into possible corporate intrigue at the Japanese automaker. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Powered by automated translation

The board of the French automaker Renault said Thursday that it was keeping Carlos Ghosn as its chief executive, after an internal review of his pay package found that it had conformed with French law.

Mr Ghosn has been held under arrest in Japan since November 19 on charges of financial misconduct and under-reporting his pay as head of Renault's partner Nissan, which has since sacked him as chairman.

He has also been dismissed as chairman of Mitsubishi, another partner in the Renault-Nissan alliance.

_____________

Carlos Ghosn

Ghosn appeal rejected as former Nissan chief re-arrested on new charges

Nissan moves to block Ghosn access to Rio flat

Ghosn's arrest may spur global backlash against Japan

_____________

Renault kept Ghosn on as CEO after his arrest in Tokyo, but launched an enquiry into his pay package and named a deputy CEO to ensure day-to-day management.

"The compensation of the chairman and chief executive officer of Renault and the conditions under which such compensation was approved were in compliance with applicable law," the car makersaid in a statement.

The 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive was formally charged on Monday of under-declaring his income by some five billion yen ($44 million) between 2010 and 2015.

Also on Monday, Japanese prosecutors served him with a fresh warrant on separate allegations of also under-declaring income over the past three years.

Renault said Thursday that "at this stage, it does not have information concerning Carlos Ghosn's defence."