In Dutch court, fugitive Ghosn fights for docs release

Ghosn, former chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Japan in 2018 but fled to Lebanon last December. He launched a court case in the Netherlands against the Japanese carmakers in July, arguing his firing was unlawful.

Monday’s hearing at the Amsterdam District Court was the first public session in the case. Ghosn is seeking $17 million in damages from the carmakers, who he says violated Dutch labour laws. A lawyer for Nissan-Mitsubishi dismissed demands by Ghosn’s legal team for documents to be released. Ghosn’s lawyers claim he was unfairly dismissed as chairman of Nissan-Mitsubishi BV, a Dutch-registered entity, as the details of the allegations were not shared with him. “Nissan and Mitsubishi publicly shamed Ghosn,” attorney lawyer Roeland de Mol told the court. “Their reports and accusations were never put to Ghosn. There was no due process.” De Mol said Ghosn wants “a full debate on the reasons of Ghosn’s dismissal. We need the information in his file to be able to do that. Mr. Ghosn is ready for a fight.” His defence team has argued the documents will show the companies were aware of Ghosn’s activities.