Prosecutors say the disgraced auto tycoon channeled millions of euros in Renault funds through an Omani car distributor for personal use, including the purchase of a 120-foot yacht.
French prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant on Friday for Carlos Ghosn, the former chief executive of Nissan and Renault who is living as a fugitive from the Japanese justice system, as part of an investigation into alleged abuse of corporate assets and money laundering. French authorities are interested in nearly 15 million euros (about $16.2 million) in suspected payments made between the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi auto alliance and its car distributor in Oman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, or SBA. They say that Mr. Ghosn abused his position as head of the world’s biggest carmaker to channel millions of euros in Renault funds through the Omani operation for his personal use, including the purchase of a 120-foot yacht. The arrest warrant was one of five issued on Friday against Mr. Ghosn and current owners or former managers of SBA, said a spokesperson for the French public prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, which has been conducting the investigation.
