Yokohama (Japan) (AFP)

Nissan chief executive Hiroto Saikawa, caught up in a badly perceived premium scandal, will resign on Sept. 16, the group, which is experiencing a new episode of its deep crisis since the arrest and eviction of Carlos Ghosn, announced Monday. .

The current operational director of the group, Yasuhiro Yamauchi, will act in the immediate future. Then the nominating committee on the board of directors intends to choose "by the end of October" a successor to Mr. Saikawa, said the chairman of the board of directors, Yasushi Kimura, during the meeting. a press conference at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

The findings of Nissan's internal audit, presented to members of the Executive Board on Monday, confirmed what Japanese media reported: In 2013, Saikawa deliberately made his share appreciation rights (SAR) , a cash bonus corresponding to a capital gain related to the Nissan share price increase over a defined period, are inflated.

At the request of Mr. Saikawa, the date of exercise of his SAR was then deferred by one week, resulting in an "illegitimate" increase of his premium to 47 million yen (about 400,000 euros at the current rate), according to the Nissan audit.

This action was not "illegal" but it was "contrary to the internal rules" of the company, said Motoo Nagai, head of the audit committee on the board of directors.

Nissan also charged Ghosn's boat on Monday, saying that the newly-conducted audit not only confirmed everything the former boss was already criticized for, but also added that he had also received payments. Indus via the SAR device, in addition to concealing sums relating to this same incentive mechanism for executives.

- "I'm not proud" -

Ghosn's successor, 65-year-old Hiroto Saikawa, has been Nissan's general manager since 2017, when his mentor handed over the group's executive orders.

After Mr. Ghosn's arrest last November for alleged financial malpractices, Mr. Saikawa flipped his jacket over and set himself up as a model of virtue.

But his days at the head of Nissan seemed counted for several months: some shareholders were indeed demanding his departure, judging too associated with the Ghosn era. He had himself promised in June to prepare his succession as soon as possible.

Mr. Saikawa, who had already acknowledged the facts last week, made a surprise appearance at the end of Monday's press conference.

"I'm not proud," he admitted. He nevertheless persisted in trying to distinguish his case from the "real intentional bad practices that have emerged since November, last December", in an allusion to Carlos Ghosn.

"I wanted to resign for a while, but it's not something that I could decide alone," he added, regretting half-heartedly the decision of the council to make him leave next Monday: "I found it was a little early, "he said.

- Many projects -

Mr. Saikawa's hasty departure comes at a very unfavorable moment for Nissan, whose profits and sales are at a bad time.

The group has also begun a major restructuring of its production activities, which will involve the elimination of 12,500 jobs worldwide.

Nissan and its French partner Renault are also trying to rebuild their alliance, undermined since the eviction of Carlos Ghosn, who was the keystone of the building.

"There are working hypotheses" on a development of cross-shareholdings between the two groups, but "nothing is recorded" on the subject, slipped to AFP a source close to the file. "The priority is the industrial and the alliance," according to the same source.

Currently, Renault - of which the French State holds 15% of the capital - controls 43% of Nissan, which owns 15% of the tricolor manufacturer.

Replaying the cards of this alliance could resuscitate a planned merger between Renault and Fiat Chrysler, which had aborted early June before the reluctance of Nissan and the French state, anxious to rewe the first links with the Japanese.

"The alliance with Renault is a big challenge for us," said Saikawa on Monday, saying he wants his successor to maintain "the specificity of Nissan" in this partnership.

© 2019 AFP