Former Nissan chairman and CEO Carlos Gon has reacted to his former colleague, who was jailed in Japan two years ago.
French prosecutors have issued international arrest warrants for Carlos Gon, as well as four people they say are linked to a car dealer in Oman, claiming they helped the fallen car titan transfer millions of euros from Renault SA, according to people familiar with the issue.
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An investigating magistrate has issued five international arrest warrants against Mr Gon, the former head of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault, and the current owners or former directors of the Omani company Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, a distributor of vehicles in Oman, the prosecutor’s office in This told The Wall Street Journal the suburb of Nanterre in Paris. They allege that Mr Gon channeled millions of dollars into Renault through an Omani distributor of cars for personal use, including the purchase of a 120-foot yacht.
Carlos Gonn, former CEO of Nissan Motor Co., poses for a photo in Beirut, Lebanon. (Tamara Abdul Hadi / Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Mr Gon escaped a trial on charges of financial crimes in Japan in Lebanon while hiding in a music box.
Following the escape, Mr Gonn initially welcomed the French investigation, saying he believed in the French judicial system, which would allow him to establish his innocence. A spokeswoman for Mr Gon declined to comment on the arrest warrants.
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The latest arrest warrant will not fundamentally change Mr Gon’s personal situation. After fleeing Japan, he remained in Lebanon, where he lived as an international fugitive in a house bought for him by the Japanese carmaker. Lebanon does not extradite its citizens, and Mr Gon has the citizenship of Lebanon, France and Brazil.
Former Renault CEO Carlos Gon. REUTERS / Benoit Tessier
However, the orders are another legal blow to Mr Gon’s reputation. He introduced himself as a victim of the Japanese judiciary, which he said was unfair and presumed guilty. Japanese officials say he would have had a fair trial if he had stayed in Japan.
People close to Mr Gon do not rule out that he will go to France to stand trial one day, although they say this is complicated by the fact that Lebanon currently holds his passports. It can also mean being away from your wife for an extended period of time. Japanese prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant against Carol Gon after her husband fled.
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She is not a French citizen and could be extradited to Japan if she tries to leave Lebanon, say people close to Mr Gon. Mr Gon cannot be extradited from France to Japan. France does not, as a rule, extradite its citizens, and Mr Gonn has French citizenship.
One of the French orders is aimed at Suhail Bahwan, the billionaire whose sprawling conglomerate owns a dealership in Oman, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr Bahwan has a number of links with France, where he owns property. One of his daughters, Hind Bahwan, is chairman of the Omani French Friendship Association and received France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor, in 2019.
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The other orders are aimed at two of Mr Bahwan’s sons, as well as the former general manager of the Oman dealership, people said. Suhail Bahwan Automobiles sells tens of thousands of Renault and Nissan cars a year in the Middle East.
Write to Nick Kostov at Nick.Kostov@wsj.com
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