Former Renault and Alliance car executive Carlos Ghosn, who faces charges of corruption and influence-peddling in France, did not appear in court in Paris at the start of his trial on Wednesday.
No lawyer appeared in court on behalf of the 72-year-old, who has fled to Lebanon, where he holds citizenship.
The former Renault-Nissan chief is accused of having paid €900,000 to the co-defendant, former French culture minister Rachida Dati, between 2010 and 2012. The funds came from a Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Lobbying activities
The payments may be linked to lobbying activities on behalf of the car manufacturer in the European Parliament. At the time, Dati was a lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Investigators have charged Ghosn with abuse of power and corruption, and Dati with accepting bribes. Both have denied the allegations. They face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and heavy fines. Dati took her place in the dock at the start of the trial.
Ghosn to be tried in absentia
In court, the parties discussed whether the trial should proceed in Ghosn’s absence or be adjourned. Ghosn had requested an adjournment in a letter from his solicitors, claiming he had not received the summons to the trial in good time.
Lawyers representing anti-corruption organizations involved in the proceedings, as well as the prosecution, have demanded Ghosn be tried in absentia. The court decided to continue the trial without Ghosn.
Carlos Ghosn
The architect of the Franco-Japanese automotive alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi was detained and charged in Tokyo on November 19, 2018, for breaches of stock exchange regulations.
In April 2019, he was released on bail from pre-trial detention subject to strict conditions. Ghosn then made a daring escape at the end of December, hiding in a large musical instrument box on a private jet via Turkey to Beirut.
Ghosn has repeatedly denied the allegations against him in Japan and accused the French authorities of a witch-hunt. He sees himself as the victim of a conspiracy to prevent Nissan from forming closer ties with Renault. Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.
Rachida Dati
Rachida Dati is an ambitious right-wing French politician and a lawyer who worked for the Renault-Nissan Alliance from 2009 to 2013 in an advisory role. At the same time, she was also a member of the European Parliament for the right-wing political party Les Républicains. From 2007 to 2009, she was Minister of Justice under then-President Sarkozy.
In the Macron government, she served as Minister of Culture until February this year, when she resigned to focus on the upcoming elections to become mayor of Paris. She lost that battle to the socialist politician Emmanuel Grégoire but remained mayor of Paris’s 7th Arrondissement.
