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Lawyers for former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn called Monday for the release of internal Nissan-Mitsubishi documents to determine how and why he was fired before his arrest for financial misconduct.
The request was made on the first day of hearings before a Dutch court that Ghosn initiated to contest what he says was an illegal dismissal.
After being jailed and then placed under house arrest in Japan, Ghosn jumped bail and fled the country in January, ending up in Lebanon.
The former auto executive is seeking 15 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation from Nissan-Mitsubishi, which along with French partner Renault is controlled by the Dutch-based holding company Renault Nissan BV.
“Naturally Ghosn contests his firing” under Dutch labour laws, his lawyer Roeland de Mol said after the hearing.
Ghosn believes internal Nissan-Mitsubishi documents will shed light on the chain of events that led to their loss of confidence in his leadership and the decision to fire him.
De Mol told AFP that lawyers for the Japanese automakers refused “to make public documents on which they based their criticism” of Ghosn, and added: “That is not how it works, certainly not before a Dutch court.”
Lawyers for the Japanese companies will present their arguments on March 26 in the Amsterdam court and will seek to have Ghosn’s claim dismissed.
Nissan has told AFP it has already provided a large amount of documentation since the start of the case and accused Ghosn’s legal team of “going fishing without knowing exactly what it is looking for”.
cvo/pma/dl