Paris (AFP)
Renault chief executive Thierry Bolloré denounces "an ominous coup de force" at the time when the French automaker is preparing to replace him to definitively close the era Carlos Ghosn, in an interview with the daily Les Echos published Thursday evening.
"The brutality and the totally unexpected nature of what is happening are staggering. (...) This coup is very disturbing", says Mr. Bolloré in this interview broadcast on the eve of a meeting of the Renault's Board of Directors, which must decide on the governance of the group chaired by Jean-Dominique Senard.
According to several sources concordant, it is the departure of the general director who announces, last rebound of the sprawling Ghosn affair, the former boss carried by a scandal of malpractices in Japan that had made Thierry Bolloré his dauphin.
"The only thing that is reproached to me perhaps is to have been appointed deputy director-general at the beginning of 2018, at the suggestion of Carlos Ghosn, unanimously of the council," said Mr. Bolloré, explaining having learned by the press Wednesday morning, returning from a trip to Japan, his possible departure from the company.
Regarding Mr. Senard who took the presidency of Renault earlier this year, "I have always been loyal to him," insists Thierry Bolloré, while defending his balance sheet at the head of the manufacturer "in a context of crisis segment ".
"At the operational level, I do not see where the fault is," says Bolloré.
"As long as Renault's board of directors has not made a decision, by definition nothing has been decided.I call on the highest level of the State shareholder, guarantor of the rules of good governance, to do not destabilize Renault, flagship of our French industry, "continues the leader.
Questioned by AFP after the broadcast of this interview, Bercy referred to remarks made Wednesday by the Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, who said "trust" Jean-Dominique Senard to make the right decisions.
This new rebound comes as a renewal of the management of the Japanese Nissan partner, which Renault holds 43%, was decided this week to dismiss the main leaders of the era Ghosn who were also those who denounced to the Japanese justice alleged errors of the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian leader.
A new chief executive, Makoto Uchida, 53, was named on Tuesday, replacing Hiroto Saikawa.
Since the outbreak of the Ghosn affair, the relations between the French and Japanese management were execrable, threatening the survival of the alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi and had become last year the first global car manufacturer in number of cars sold .
© 2019 AFP