Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan while awaiting trial, said Tuesday he has filed a criminal lawsuit in Lebanon against the Japanese company, vowing to make it pay for "the damage that cannot be repaired."

The lawsuit is "based on many crimes that Nissan has committed in Lebanon," Ghosn said online at a press conference held in Tokyo. But he did not elaborate on the details of the suit.

The remarks came after Reuters news agency reported in June that Ghosn sued Nissan and others, seeking over $1 billion in damages over allegations that include defamation. However, it was unclear if this was the same lawsuit Ghosn mentioned or a separate one.

"Nissan will have to pay for what it has done to me and my family," he said. "I just want to make sure all the criminals and plotters cannot sleep quietly in their beds."

He spoke from Lebanon, where he sensationally fled to in December 2019 while out on bail awaiting trial for allegedly underreporting remuneration and misusing Nissan's funds.

Ghosn also slammed the recent review of the alliance between the Japanese automaker and Renault SA to equalize their mutual stakes.

The alliance dates back to 1999 when Renault became the top shareholder in Nissan, which was then on the brink of bankruptcy.

Ghosn, who was sent from Renault to lead the overhaul, took the helm at Nissan in 2000 and Renault in 2005, subsequently becoming chairman of the alliance.

The growing distrust between the two companies over the years, which widened following his arrest, has led to "a mini alliance with very reduced scope of cooperation," Ghosn said.

"What's happening is that after my arrest, the alliance was shattered," he said, adding, "The only thing you can do is restart something less ambitious, much more restricted. That's exactly what we are seeing today."

In February, Nissan and its biggest shareholder Renault said they have formally agreed to make their mutual cross-shareholdings equal at 15 percent, in a move that radically changes the decades-old capital alliance that created one of the world's biggest automaker groups.

Ghosn also called the recent departure of chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta from Nissan "laughable," arguing Gupta was removed for "no obvious reason."

His sudden departure in June surprised many in the industry as he was seen as a future candidate to be CEO of Nissan. Infighting among Nissan executives is believed to be behind his decision to leave the company.

"At least he was lucky not to end up in prison," Ghosn said, adding the governance at Nissan is not functioning.

==Kyodo

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