Board members began to voice doubts about keeping Carlos Ghosn in office following his indictment in Japan for suspected misconduct.
The French government is seeking candidates to replace Renault’s embattled boss Carlos Ghosn, sources told Reuters, as board members began to voice doubts about keeping him in office following his indictment in Japan for suspected misconduct.
At a meeting on Thursday, Renault directors were briefed on an investigation by alliance partner Nissan that led to Ghosn’s arrest last month. He was charged this week over the company’s failure to declare $43 million in deferred income he had arranged to receive.
Nissan fired Ghosn as chairman three days after his detention, but Renault has resisted pressure to dismiss him, as the scandal strains their carmaking alliance.
The Renault board on Thursday stuck by its earlier decision to keep him on, with its lead director standing in as interim chairman and deputy CEO Thierry Bollore leading operations.
In a statement issued by Renault after the meeting, the board “noted that, at this stage, it does not have information concerning Carlos Ghosn’s defence.”
During the five-hour session, however, several directors led by Cherie Blair, wife of the British former prime minister Tony Blair, began to express impatience with that position, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
“What she said, in effect, was that we can’t remain in this situation forever,” one source said of Blair. “At some point you need to move forward and move on.”
A Renault spokesman said he could not comment on board proceedings.
