Carlos Ghosn improperly charged Renault SA for a €3,000 (¥380,000) scooter, according to sources familiar with the matter, in the latest allegation by the carmaker against its jailed former chairman.
The two-wheeler was retrieved by Renault from its headquarters near Paris after company auditors questioned whether Ghosn was entitled to the benefit as part of his compensation, said one of the sources, who declined to be named because the details aren't public. The scooter was purchased in 2018, the source said.
A spokesman for Renault declined comment, as did Ghosn's lawyer in Paris, Jean-Yves Le Borgne. A spokeswoman for the Ghosn family couldn't be reached for immediate comment.
Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November on allegations of financial misconduct at Nissan Motor Co. He has denied the charges. Ghosn's legal woes have cast a spotlight on his lavish lifestyle that included use of luxury homes in four countries, a corporate jet and a Marie Antoinette-themed wedding party at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris.
The scooter is a relatively small expense for Renault compared with Ghosn's €7.4 million pay package in 2017 and other details revealed by the carmaker from its investigation.
Earlier this month, Renault said Ghosn made questionable payments to a distributor in the Middle East and an outside lawyer, and it raised concerns about expenses of several million euros by RNBV, a holding company also headed by Ghosn.