Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, at his first news conference after the stunning getaway from Japan, has refused to reveal names of Japanese officials who were allegedly involved in a "plot" against him
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th January, 2020) Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, at his first news conference after the stunning getaway from Japan, has refused to reveal Names of Japanese officials who were allegedly involved in a "plot" against him.
"So, who are the people? I promised you names. I'm gonna give you names [of those] who was the part of the plot," he said on Wednesday, mentioning several Nissan executives.
He added that there were "many people" who were involved in the "plot, including Masakazu Toyoda, a board member, who was a "link between the board of Nissan and the authorities."
He yet stop short of naming the Japanese officials involved, saying that he would not do anything that would hurt interests of Lebanon, which sheltered him after the escape, and its people.
"I can give you names. I know them but I am in Lebanon, I respect Lebanon and I respect the hospitality being extended to me by the authorities of Lebanon. And in no way I will do anything or say anything that will make that task more difficult. So I am imposing on myself silence on this part of presentation," the tycoon said.
As for the reasons why he was put in custody in Japan on financial misconduct charges, Ghosn stated that there were two of them.
"The two main reasons for this to happen. The first one was the fact that Nissan performance unfortunately started to decline at the beginning of 2017. I will remind you that in October 2016, I decided to remove myself from ... Nissan because I signed a deal with Mitsubishi ... So, I moved to Mitsubishi as chairman of the board," he said.
Despite the fact that the company's performance fell under another CEO, his successor, he was still blamed for it, though the appointment of a new CEO is always a board decision, according to Ghosn.
Another reason for his "ouster," Ghosn went on, was "bitterness" in Japan about the French state blocking the proposal to allow Renault to sidestep the rule that provides double-voting rights for shareholders who held their stakes for more than two years.
"The French state increased its stake in the company and blocked the majority of two-thirds ... This left big bitterness with our friends in Japan, not only with the management of Nissan but also with the government of Japan," he said.
"Some considered that it is unfair that Nissan, which owns 15 percent of shares in Renault, has zero voting rights, and the French state, that owns 15 percent of Renault, has double-voting rights ... This is where the problem started," Ghosn added.
His "mistake," according to the former Nissan chief, was his accepting the offer to supervise the further merge of Nissan and Renault.
"Some of my Japanese friends thought that the only way to get rid of the influence of Renault on Nissan, was to get rid of me," he said.
