Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is said to have filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the automaker.

Mr Ghosn’s filing is his latest attempt to defend his name after being fired from the company in 2018 and jailed in Japan on financial misconduct charges.

Mr. Ghosn has stated that the allegations are intended to disrupt his ambitions for a Nissan-Renault combination.

While awaiting trial in Japan, he left in a box and now resides in Lebanon.

According to Bloomberg and Reuters, the complaint, filed in Lebanon, charges Nissan, two other corporations, and 12 individuals of defamation and libel. A hearing date has been set for September.

Nissan has refused to comment.

Mr Ghosn’s requested damages amount to more than 5% of the company’s approximate $16 billion market worth.

Mr. Ghosn previously led the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, one of the world’s largest automakers.

According to his official biography, Mr Ghosn is credited for bringing Nissan back from the brink of bankruptcy in the early 2000s. He was appointed CEO of French carmaker Renault in 2005, becoming the first person to oversee two global Fortune 500 firms concurrently.

Mr. Ghosn claims that his pursuit of a full merger between Nissan and Renault was the catalyst for his demise, scaring some who feared French dominance over the Japanese automaker.

He was detained in Japan in late 2018 on a variety of charges, including allegations that he purposefully underreported his profits and misappropriated corporate funds to pay his own lifestyle.

Mr. Ghosn has denied any misconduct and referred to the Japanese court system as “rigged.” He is currently unable to leave Lebanon due to a Red Notice issued by Interpol by Japan.

The Fall of the Car God
Former Nissan executive says he wants a trial.
His escape from the country, in which he disguised himself to walk unnoticed through Tokyo streets and was stashed in a large music equipment box, made international headlines.

In 2021, an American father and son were extradited from the United States and sentenced to prison in Japan for assisting Mr Ghosn in fleeing the country.

Following an inquiry into whether Mr Ghosn had misused company cash for personal use, French authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 2022. He stated at the time that he was convinced he could prove his innocence if any accusations were brought against him.

Mr Ghosn spent part of his boyhood in Lebanon, which does not extradite its nationals.

According to Bloomberg, Mr Ghosn stated in the filing that the allegations would “linger in people’s minds for years” and that he would “suffer from them for the rest of his life, as they have persistent and lingering impacts, even if based on mere suspicion.”

Meanwhile, Nissan and Renault have been trying to finalize an earlier this year announced deal aimed at “rebalancing” their cooperation, which would limit Renault’s voting control over Nissan.