Renault tells Nissan to stop contacting directors over Ghosn scandal ahead of crunch meeting

Renault has reportedly told Nissan to stop contacting the French car maker’s directors with incriminating evidence against sacked chairman Carlos Ghosn, ahead of a crunch board meeting tomorrow.

The former Nissan boss was formally charged and re-arrested on Monday along with the company's former representative director Greg Kelly on charges of underreporting Ghosn’s salary by tens of millions of pounds since 2010.

Ever since Ghosn’s first arrest on 19 November Renault has demanded to see the findings of Nissan’s internal investigation of the claims, but sources told Reuters the French company did not want board members to be contacted on the matter because it was not the agreed channel of communication on the issue.

Ghosn remains chairman of Renault despite being ousted from partner company Nissan, but his future may be debated at the board meeting on Thursday, sources said.

Nissan offered to brief the Renault board with what it considers proof of Ghosn’s wrongdoing, but the French company said it should tell its lawyers instead, sources said.

The communication reportedly led to a meeting between the two firms’ lawyers in Paris earlier this week.

The Japanese company has invited Renault board members including deputy chief executive Thierry Bollore to examine its findings, but was rebuffed, a source said.

Renault and Nissan have recently endured a strained relationship, with their alliance reportedly driven largely by Ghosn. The latest reports will add to speculation about the future of the companies’ partnership.

Renault shares were up around 2 per cent and Nissan shares were up around 1 per cent today.

City A.M. has approached both companies for comment.