(Bloomberg) -- Carlos Ghosn's lawyers said they're surprised to hear that the board of Renault SA started proceedings against their client based on an audit report.
Ghosn hasn't had a chance to respond to any of the questions raised by this report, Jean-Yves Le Borgne and Francois Zimeray, the lawyers for the former boss of Renault, said in a statement on Sunday.
“Shockingly, for several months, elements of this ‘audit' have been circulating in the media without Mr. Ghosn ever receiving it,” they said.
They said Ghosn is willing to provide “all necessary clarifying information as long as he is given the opportunity to express his view.”
Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. led an audit at their jointly-owned RNBV subsidiary which confirmed the existence of financial “deficiencies,” Renault said June 4, in particular regarding 11 million euros ($12.5 million) of expenses most of which were linked to Ghosn.
The relationship between Renault and Nissan has been strained by the fallout from the November arrest of Ghosn in Tokyo. He denies the allegations, which range from falsification of documents to diverting millions of dollars from Nissan Motor Co. for his personal use.
The 11 million euros of spending that is being questioned includes Ghosn's air travel and other items, as well as gifts to non-profit organizations, the statement said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Angelina Rascouet in Paris at arascouet1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Amott at jamott@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser
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