Urbane, smooth, and polished, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn delivered an ultra-professional performance on Sunday evening (23 January) live on French flagship news programme, Le Journal de 20h.
The Brazilian Renault boss is seemingly unflappable, turning in a tour de force in flawless French of his company’s reasons for sacking three of its most senior executives in the alleged industrial espionage case.
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But away from the slick presentation, did he say anything of note? Anything new? Well, apart from insisting repeatedly Renault would not be a “soft target,” Ghosn did not really commit himself to specifics, preferring to play safe noting the matter would follow a judicial process.
Lawyers acting for one of the three – unnamed by Renault – but who has come forward as Michel Balthazard to protest his innocence – think they may have found a chink of light in which to defend their client.
“We have no proof the technology itself was the object of this approach – we think it is the economic system,” said Ghosn in his TV appearance, which provoked the following reply from Balthazard’s lawyer Pierre-Olivier Sur to just-auto: “The president of Renault had not made any industrial case – that is why I am defending M. Balthazard because he is an engineer – he denies all accusations. The situation has changed a bit therefore.”
And a small snapshot of Balthazard’s life has also emerged from conversations with his Parisian lawyers, who are adamant the executive wants to return to Renault.
“Michel Balthazard has given more than a quarter of his life to Renault – his objective is to be reintegrated. He is totally overwhelmed – he has no more car or telephone,” one of his legal team told just-auto today (25 January).
Noting Balthazard wanted to “turn the page,” his lawyers give the impression – without revealing their hand – they think their client has a good case.
Was Ghosn’s caginess the other night a recognition of the firepower the executives are putting up? He batted away suggestions of Swiss and Luxembourg bank accounts with consummate ease, raising the “economic system” instead.
Are Balthazard’s lawyers scenting blood?
