France Launches New Probe into Ghosn’s Finances

France has begun a tax investigation into the personal finances of Carlos Ghosn, former chairman of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, sources tell Liberation.

The influential French daily says the Ministry of Budget is looking at €11 million in suspicious income over the past several years. The newspaper describes the anticipated investigation as a thorough review that could take nearly a year to complete.

Officials are especially interested in details in an audit conducted by the French firm Mazars

Group, according to the report. The still-secret analysis delved into payments to Ghosn by Renault-Nissan BV. The Dutch company manages the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and was headed by Ghosn at the time.

Liberation says inspectors are skeptical about Ghosn’s declaration in 2012 that his residence had changed from France to the Netherlands, where he could avoid France’s wealth tax. Establishing Dutch residency would require Ghosn to live there at least 183 days per year.

The probe was prompted by questions raised earlier about Ghosn’s financing for his wedding in 2016 and the transfer of funds from Nissan Motor Co. to a vehicle distributor in Oman that may have benefitted him or a relative, according to Liberation.