Renault insists it has collaborated fully with the French justice system following its sacking of three top executives in its alleged industrial espionage affair.
Speculation in France has raised the question of whether Renault is refusing to divulge the name of the person who informed the country’s secret service – the DCRI – about whether or not bank accounts existed abroad but the automaker is standing its ground.
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“All Renault services have been instructed to collaborate totally and in a completely transparent manner with French justice,” said Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn on French radio today (11 February).
“You can’t make a complaint against X, go and see the Paris prosecutor, [while] in the background refuse to give information. Listen, do you think the Paris prosecutor would have proceeded with an inquiry if there was nothing in the dossier, that’s not serious.”
The foreign bank accounts continue to remain a mystery in the espionage affair. One of the sacked three, Bertrand Rochette, has maintained Renault took him to Switzerland to discuss the existence of the supposed bank accounts, only to have Renault staff tell him once abroad that the mission was cancelled.
When repeatedly asked if Renault had refused to co-operate with the secret service in disclosing the identity of the bank account informant, Ghosn simply reiterates it had cooperated fully.
“I will say – we have given instructions – we have every interest in that all the elements we have at our disposal can go to the justice [system]. We have confidence and we await the conclusions.”
During the broadcast, the Renault boss is also asked if he has obtained by legal or illegal means, the information that led to the sacking of the three executives.
“Listen, that’s for the justice [system] to determine, it’s not for us,” he says, before replying to a question as to whether he is sure of his case. “The head of the ethics committee is the head of legal affairs of the business.
“So, it would astonish me if there had been things done that were outside legality.”
Ghosn also makes specific reference to what many have speculated is crucial to the affair, namely electric vehicle and battery technology. The Renault boss maintained his duty was to protect Renault when there was a significant threat to such elements as EVs and their propulsion.
“When there is an important risk in this field – electric vehicles and batteries that today represent assets of more than EUR4bn which has already been committed between Renault and Nissan, my responsibility is to protect Renault first of all,” he said.
