Former Nissan Boss Carlos Ghosn Maintains Innocence, Claims Conspiracy

The Brazilian-born businessman says he's the victim of backstabbing Nissan execs.

Carlos Ghosn
A screen grab from Ghosn's video. (Photo by Hironaka Law Office via Getty Images)
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Former Nissan head Carlos Ghosn has leveled some startling allegations against executives at the Japanese carmaker.

In a new video, Ghosn defended his innocence against multiple allegations of financial misconduct, claiming conspiring Nissan execs are to blame for his ousting from the company, reported CNN.

“This is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing,” Ghosn said in the seven-minute video, which was reportedly recorded before a new round of financial misconduct allegations led to his fourth arrest in Japan last week.

In the video, Ghosn, the former head of a global autos alliance that included Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi Motors, claimed that fears over a merger sparked a revolt at Nissan that led to his downfall.

Nissan has declined to comment on Ghosn’s claims in the video, but a spokesperson for the company told CNN that an “internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct” by the former chairman.

“The company’s focus remains on addressing weaknesses in governance that failed to prevent this misconduct,” the spokesperson added.

Last week, Ghosn was arrested and accused of redirecting $5 million in payments made by Nissan to a dealer he controlled, landing him back in the Tokyo jail where he previously spent 108 days before posting $9 million bail in March.

Ghosn is awaiting trial on separate charges of financial misconduct, including allegations that he understated his income and used his position at the company to transfer personal investment losses to Nissan. He has denied the charges.

Nissan shareholders voted to remove Ghosn from the board on Monday, effectively severing all ties with the former CEO and chairman.

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