□ Wang Wei, a trainee reporter of this newspaper

　　□ Our reporter Wu Qiong

　　According to Japanese and French media reports, three French examining magistrates and prosecutors, who are investigating the alleged embezzlement of funds from French auto giant Renault by former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, arrived in Japan in early July. Learn more.

Since Ghosn's dramatic escape from Japan, his main legal risk has largely shifted to France.

In France, he is under investigation for allegedly buying a yacht with Renault funds and hosting his wife's birthday party.

　　to investigate in Japan

　　The three French examining magistrates and prosecutors, who arrived in Tokyo on July 2, plan to ask relevant Japanese people if they know the financial transactions of Ghosn's embezzlement case and whether anyone else is involved.

　　According to reports, in 2010, when Ghosn was also chairman of Renault, he was suspected of abusing company assets, bribery and money laundering in the financial transactions between Renault and Nissan's corporate alliance management company and the car sales agency "SBA" in Oman, the Middle East. .

　　There are also reports that Ghosn is suspected of getting Renault to pay the SBA in the name of "bonus" and other names, and then he gets some rebates from the SBA.

The amount involved is as high as 15 million euros (1 euro is about 6.84 yuan).

However, Ghosn has always denied the allegations.

　　In addition, Renault has been conducting an internal investigation into whether Ghosn committed wrongdoing during his tenure as chairman.

Previously, Renault had reported to prosecutors that Ghosn’s wedding at Versailles in France may also have misappropriated company funds.

　　What is quite dramatic is that Ghosn was prosecuted by the Japanese side for illegally paying Nissan's funds to the SBA in the same way.

In November 2018, Ghosn was accused by the Japanese side of multiple charges, including embezzlement of public funds, concealment of income, transfer of personal investment losses to companies and serious breach of trust. Ghosn himself denied all allegations.

In April 2019, Ghosn was arrested again.

After that, the court granted Ghosn bail, but asked him not to leave Japan.

The Japanese court was originally scheduled to hear Ghosn's case in April 2020, but he fled Japan bizarrely in December 2019, and after arriving in Lebanon, he bombarded the Japanese judiciary as "unfair" to him.

With no extradition treaty signed with Lebanon, Japanese prosecutors announced a "red notice" through Interpol after Ghosn fled.

　　In March, the Tokyo District Court handed down a guilty verdict against Kelly, a former representative of Ghosn and a former Nissan representative, accused of violating the same law.

At that time, Ghosn also commented on this, saying that "this is a judgment made to preserve the decency of Japanese justice and the cooperating Nissan."

　　issued an international wanted

　　Analysts believe that it is also a helpless move for French investigators to go to Japan to investigate Ghosn's misappropriation of funds.

　　Since the French authorities officially launched an investigation into Ghosn's alleged misappropriation of Renault funds in February 2020, Ghosn has been refusing to cooperate.

In July 2020, the French judiciary summoned Ghosn, but Ghosn said he was only willing to be questioned in Lebanon.

In 2021, French investigators traveled to Beirut, the Lebanese capital, to question Ghosn about his interactions with car dealers in Oman and his spending on various activities and trips, but the trip did little to help.

In April, French prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for Ghosn.

　　It is reported that in addition to Ghosn, there are also four people related to car sales agencies in Oman in the Middle East.

One of the arrest warrants targets billionaire Suhail Bhawan, who owns a car dealership in Oman that prosecutors accuse of using Renault funds for Ghosn's personal use, people familiar with the matter said.

The other arrest warrants are for Suhail Bhawan's two sons and the former general manager of the car dealership.

　　The Wall Street Journal said that France's issuance of an international arrest warrant was a "new blow" to Ghosn, who insists he is "a victim of Japan's unjust justice system."

　　Regarding the alleged suspicions, Ghosn has always emphasized: "I have never illegally obtained a penny from Renault and Nissan. Regarding the SBA, I have not misappropriated funds." He said he was ready to plead not guilty.

When asked if he planned to travel to France to be investigated, he argued that "the Lebanese authorities have banned me from leaving the country" and said he hoped to "end this nightmare" as soon as possible.

　　many lawsuits

　　Repairing his reputation is a daunting task as the well-known auto tycoon faces multiple legal challenges around the world after Japanese allegations sparked a French prosecutor's investigation into his alleged misappropriation of Renault funds. task.

　　There are reports that the Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance is suspected of "misuse of social assets".

Beginning in 2019, the Paris judiciary has begun an investigation into the case, and Ghosn has also been involved.

According to the French "Libere", the Dutch subsidiary was accused of having "no business activities of its own", "no employees" and "mainly used to pay high-level executives lucrative remuneration", among which the object of payment Including Ghosn.

　　In addition, a Dutch court ruled on May 20, 2021, that Ghosn should refund nearly 5 million euros in salary received from a Nissan-Mitsubishi joint venture subsidiary.

Ghosn said he was "shocked" by the verdict.

　　The Associated Press reported that the embattled Ghosn dissected his "legal troubles" in Japan, France and the Netherlands in an interview a few days ago, detailing how he planned to escape from Osaka to Lebanon and feared that he would be entangled in lawsuits. Trapped in Lebanon.

　　It is unclear what legal punishment Ghosn will receive.

However, because he planned and staged the "Fantastic Escape" in person, his future fate has also attracted widespread attention from international public opinion.