The French Public Prosecution Office announced the appointment of a judge to open a formal investigation into allegations of embezzlement of former Renault chief Carlos Ghosn.
According to Reuters news agency, the public prosecutor's office in Nanterre, on the outskirts of the French capital, Paris, has been investigating since last year a ceremony held by Ghosn for his wife at the Palace of Versailles, along with other financial transactions.
He said in a statement yesterday, Wednesday, that a judge will now investigate several charges related to Reno against a person or persons he did not mention by name. A judicial source confirmed that Ghosn is among them.
A lawyer said about Ghosn that he welcomes the opportunity to present his account of the events.
"We will give our interpretation to the assigned investigating judge, after we finally have access to the case file," attorney Jean-Yves Le Bourne told Reuters.
Ghosn has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Ghosn was arrested by Japanese authorities in late 2018 on charges of financial irregularities before fleeing last December to Lebanon.
Reuters reported in a report in January that judges, who have broader powers of investigators to deal with a criminal case, will intervene in this case, which could increase the chance of a trial.
The prosecutor's office said the case includes suspicious financial transactions between Renault and a car dealership, as well as expenses for trips and events.
The prosecution was investigating whether Ghosn knowingly used the company's resources to hold a party to mark his wife's birthday in 2016.
Ghosn's attorneys say he did not commit a violation, but there may have been a misunderstanding between Versailles and the party organizers over who will bear the costs of renting the palace.
The judicial source said that the investigations will also include another party in Versailles in 2014 held by Ghosn to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the alliance with the Japanese company Nissan.
Ghosn denied at a press conference in January allegations that most of the guests of the party were his friends and family, and said that the two companies invited the distribution agents and other partners.
