France to Step Up Ghosn Probe Into Versailles Party, Oman Money
French prosecutors
are set to ask an investigative judge to take over a probe into spending by former Renault SA Chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Prosecutors from Nanterre, near Paris,
opened a preliminary probe last year and are planning to task an investigative judge with wider powers to continue the case, the prosecutor’s office said in an email.
The Nanterre probe focuses on whether Ghosn improperly used a Renault sponsorship deal to host his 2016 wedding party at the Versailles palace.
Authorities have also taken an interest in Ghosn’s relationship with a billionaire in Oman who was a Nissan intermediary over suspicions he may have helped move money into a Lebanon-based company controlled by the former car executive.
In France, Ghosn
is also entangled in a separate probe into fees paid by Amsterdam-based joint venture Renault-Nissan BV to consultants.
Prosecutors
hand over only the most complex probes to investigative judges. These typically take years to conclude.
A spokesman for Ghosn
has previously denied allegations related to the Oman distributor, and said the former Renault chairman would repay the marriage-related expenses.
Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.co.jp/news/articles/2020-01-23/Q4KT6LDWRGG501