Renault has revealed that it paid 50,000 euro ($57,000) to contribute to the opulent wedding party of former chief executive Carlos Ghosn in 2016.
In a statement, the French car manufacturer says that after compliance audits were initiated on November 23, 2018, it discovered that a €50,000 contribution was allocated to Ghosn’s personal benefit as a charitable donation with the Château de Versailles where his wedding was held.
According to Reuters, Renault has decided to immediately bring its findings to the judicial authorities.
In an email, Ghosn’s lawyer Jean-Yves Leborgne stated that the executive was unaware of the contribution.
“The event space at Versailles was made available to him without charge, and Mr. Ghosn was unaware that the use of the space would be charged against Renault’s allotted usage. Carlos Ghosn paid for all of his wedding expenses.”
Château de Versailles is one of France’s best-known landmarks and a tourist hot spot. Renault reached an agreement with the property prior to the wedding to sponsor 2.3 million euros ($2.61 million) of renovations in return for services from the chateau worth 575,000 euros ($651,000).
Ghosn’s Japanese lawyer, Motonari Otsuru, hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
The former Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance CEO has remained in detention in Tokyo since November last year. He has had limited opportunity to speak to the media about the allegations against him, but in late January, he did speak with Nikkei. The former executive claimed that he is innocent and asserted that he was the victim of a plot to be ousted by other Nissan executives.