Boulogne-Billancourt (AFP)

The labor court of Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) postponed Friday to April 17 the hearing of the dispute between Carlos Ghosn and his former employer Renault to claim retirement compensation of 250,000 euros.

To everyone's surprise, the request for a referral was presented by the lawyers of the former manager, who nevertheless had themselves seized the industrial tribunals for interim measures, that is to say via an emergency procedure which presupposes evidence of the facts.

"So is it an emergency or not?" Was surprised by the president of the summary panel, Annick Roy, after the request for dismissal made by Mr. Ghosn's lawyer, Me Laetitia Ternisien.

At the end of a deliberation, it nevertheless granted the postponement to April 17.

"We received Renault's response only Monday noon, so four days to respond to 20 pages of conclusions is clearly not enough," said Ternisien, before a crowd of journalists unusual for this jurisdiction.

- Battle of lawyers -

The lawyers of Carlos Ghosn had transmitted the documents supporting their request for compensation of 250,000 euros on January 24, more than a month after entering the industrial tribunal "urgently" on December 20. Renault responded in three weeks.

"In summary proceedings, we hear only urgent cases which do not pose any difficulty. We can see in reality that we are being asked to send a referral and that therefore neither the emergency nor the evidence required in summary proceedings have been established", said Me Yasmine Tarasewicz, lawyer for Renault.

In spring 2019, the 65-year-old former manager had taken steps to liquidate his retirement rights. "Despite (...) his repeated requests to (Renault), his retirement compensation has still not been paid to him", more than a year after his departure, it is argued in the entourage from Mr. Ghosn.

On the side of the car manufacturer, it is considered that the former manager is not entitled to this compensation insofar as he was no longer an employee of the company.

The group's reference documents, signed by Carlos Ghosn himself, stipulate that one cannot combine the status of a corporate officer with an employment contract. However, he had this status as an agent since his appointment as CEO in 2005.

For the defenders of Renault, the employment contract was therefore broken, while those of the manager believe that it was only suspended.

At the end of the year, the ousted boss had managed to flee Japan under extraordinary circumstances, in order to escape a legal procedure which he considers unfair. He has since taken refuge in Lebanon, his family's country of origin.

- Indignant reactions -

In early January, at a press conference in Beirut, he had counter-attacked. "I have rights vis-à-vis Nissan, vis-à-vis Renault, which have not been respected and I intend to claim them in court," he warned.

The referral to the industrial tribunal by a boss, who was remunerated nearly 15 million euros per year for his various functions within the Renault-Nissan alliance, has aroused several indignant reactions in a France in full debate on the reform retirements.

Especially since the case comes at a time when the diamond group is considering plant closings after suffering its first losses in ten years.

A handful of trade unionists from SOUTH made the trip to Boulogne-Billancourt on Friday to express their anger, in front of a trunk covered with a 500 euro note bearing the image of Carlos Ghosn, in a nod to his "method of 'escape' alleged.

"We find it shameful that he dares to claim retirement indemnities (...). Tens of millions of dollars he pocketed from Renault for his personal fortune for years and years and there he comes still claim 250,000 euros ", denounced Christian Morel, SUD Renault delegate.

© 2020 AFP