TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd <7201.T> on Monday blasted suggestions in media reports of a conspiracy within the company to oust former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
The measures round off a decisive week for Renault and its Japanese partners Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., drawing a line under a two-decade era of aggressive expansion
Car sales and production have been hit hard in every coronavirus-hit country since factories were shutdown and consumers were forced to stay indoors due to the outbreak.
The firm failed to issue a dividend to shareholders after posting a net loss of 26.1 billion yen for the three months to December
Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 on charges of financial wrongdoing, and faced trial in Japan until making a dramatic escape to Lebanon at the end of December
Now, Nissan is considering shutting two plants permanently, on top of the reductions at the 14 other sites
It will also continue with Datsun brand, with focus on providing value proposition to the customers
The arrest of Ghosn, widely respected for rescuing the carmaker from near-bankruptcy, has put Japan's criminal justice system under international scrutiny
Takashi Takano said on his blog post Saturday the questioning continued through weekends, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Ghosn, who denies any wrongdoing, fled charges of financial misconduct including allegedly under-reporting his compensation to the tune of $85 million
Ghosn fled Japan on December 29 for Lebanon, in an elaborate and apparently carefully planned escape
The details of his escape remain spotty, with Japan saying it is still investigating how he slipped past strict security measures imposed as part of his bail conditions
Referring to Japan's judicial system, he said: I was betrayed, but the one who betrayed me is not Carlos Ghosn
Japanese investigators are probing how the man who was once the country's best paid corporate executive managed to slip out of house arrest and dodge trial, causing a national embarrassment
Carlos Ghosn claimed on Thursday he organised his dramatic escape from bail in Japan alone as the disgraced auto tycoon enjoyed his first days of freedom in Beirut despite an Interpol arrest notice. The exact circumstances of the former Renault-Nissan boss's escape from a case he said was "rigged" were unclear but media reports described a plot that had all the trappings of a spy novel. Ghosn denied through the Paris-based agency handling his PR that his family had anything to do with his escape. "The media reports saying my wife Carole and other family members played a role in my departure from Japan are falsehoods. I alone organised my departure," he said. Turkey said seven people had been detained for questioning, including four pilots, over how the wanted tycoon was able to transit through Istanbul. Ghosn, who had been under house arrest in Tokyo since April, was believed to be holed up his central Beirut residence, where visitors filed in and out under the scrutiny of TV ...
Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that the Red Notice for the former automotive titan was received earlier Thursday by the prosecution
Ghosn -- who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian citizenship -- jumped bail in Tokyo in mysterious circumstances and arrived in his native Lebanon early on Monday
One of his lawyers said he was such a famous face that he had no chance to slip away undetected.
The former industry heavyweight also has French and Brazilian citizenship.
"I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied."