Nissan money secretly used to buy houses for former CEO – report

Reports from Japan indicate Carlos Ghosn, current chairman of Nissan and its former CEO, was arrested on-board his private jet.

Sources have told NHK funds from Nissan and its affiliates were used to purchase and renovate luxury homes for Ghosn's personal use in Paris, Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, and Beirut.

The Rio residence reportedly has views of Copacabana beach, while the Parisian apartment is said to be in a luxurious district near the Eiffel Tower and Seine river, and the Amsterdam home is situated near Vondelpark on the outskirts of the historic city centre.

It's claimed Ghosn didn't have to pay rent for these facilities, and the residences are said to be worth billions of yen – or in the tens of millions in Australian dollars.

Ghosn was born in Brazil to a part-Lebanese family. He later studied and started his career in Paris. Not only is he the current chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi, he is Renault CEO, which has its headquarters on the outskirts of Paris.

Yesterday, during a 90 minute press conference, current Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said Ghosn and fellow director Greg Kelly misused corporate investment funds and company expenses, as well as deliberately understating Ghosn's income in stock exchange filings.

According to the Asahi newspaper, Ghosn's alleged shady dealings were outed by a person in Nissan's legal department, who is said to have received a plea deal from prosecutors. If true, it would be only be the second such bargain in modern Japanese history.

The newspaper also has video of Ghosn's personal jet, with the identification number N155AN, being boarded yesterday by prosecutors after it landed at Haneda airport, just outside Tokyo.

Ghosn and Kelly's current locations are not currently known, but they can be held without charge for up to 23 days under Japanese law.

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