French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn over alleged misappropriation of funds from Renault SA, Nissan's key alliance partner, investigative authorities said Friday.
Aside from Ghosn, the prosecutors are after four individuals linked to a car dealer in Oman for their suspected roles in helping Ghosn's alleged misconduct, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing French authorities and other sources.
If the preliminary judge decides to indict Ghosn, a trial can be held in absentia in France.
Ghosn and the other four are accused of misappropriating millions of euros from the French carmaker through the Omani dealer so that Ghosn could use the money for personal use, according to the report.
A 120-foot yacht was one of the purchases Ghosn made through the scheme, the investigators added.
The four are the current owners or former directors of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the Omani car dealer, according to the Journal.
"This is surprising. Ghosn has always cooperated with French authorities," the spokesperson for the former Nissan chairman was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Ghosn was arrested by Japanese prosecutors in Japan in 2018 for underreporting his compensation, but he jumped bail and fled in late 2019 to Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.
Ghosn does not rule out going to France to face trial one day if the situation allows, the Journal reported, citing people close to him.
Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who had also been arrested with Ghosn, faced trial in Japan and was given a six-month suspended prison sentence in March for helping Ghosn in his financial misconduct.
In the trial that proceeded without Ghosn, the presiding judge severely criticized him for his greed, saying, "The chief culprit in this case is former Chairman Ghosn," as Kelly did not benefit directly from his involvement.
Ghosn said in an interview after the ruling that it was a "face-saving" judgment for Japanese prosecutors and Nissan that had cooperated in the investigation.
He has criticized Japan's justice system as "rigged" and said he fled the country to avoid being "held hostage."