Carlos Ghosn desires to right the document in his personal memoir being re-released this week: He’s not a Nissan shareholder and is keen to exit Renault.

The manager-turned-international fugitive has grown much more pessimistic concerning the automakers’ prospects within the 11 months since his guide was first printed in French. In a chapter dedicated to defending his compensation, Ghosn says he demonstrated loyalty and religion within the corporations by hanging onto their inventory after his November 2018 arrest.

“I’m not any extra a shareholder of Nissan, thank God,” Ghosn mentioned Wednesday in a video interview from Beirut. He’s lived there since fleeing Japan in late 2019 to keep away from trial over numerous costs of monetary impropriety.

The Renault-Nissan alliance — solid when Ghosn was dispatched in 1999 to save lots of the then-nearly bankrupt Japanese carmaker — is “doomed” on account of lingering energy struggles, its former chairman mentioned. He nonetheless has declare to a stake in Renault by way of shares the French authorities seized as a part of an ongoing tax-residency investigation.

“It’s not as a result of I belief administration — I don’t,” Ghosn mentioned. “It’s as a result of I’ve no alternative.”

Representatives for Nissan and Renault declined to remark. The 2 corporations mixed have misplaced virtually $30 billion in market worth since his arrest.

Nissan posted two consecutive years of losses after Ghosn was arrested on costs of monetary misconduct. Final yr, the corporate unveiled a turnaround plan that requires shuttering manufacturing traces and sacrificing market share for profitability. Together with automotive rivals the world over, it’s been sideswiped by the pandemic and crippling scarcity of semiconductors.

Renault additionally has taken drastic steps since Ghosn’s exit, slashing 1000’s of jobs and paring again manufacturing capability after a document annual loss. Whereas the automaker swung to a revenue within the first half of this yr, its bounce-back from the early days of the pandemic has been muted by over-reliance on Europe, the place automotive gross sales are recovering extra slowly than in China or the U.S.

Sequel deliberate

Ghosn, 67, has denied costs leveled in opposition to him and mentioned he’s already engaged on a sequel to his tome initially printed in November of final yr. The trouble displays a need to defend his legacy because the globe-trotting CEO who managed three automakers directly earlier than a dramatic downfall.

He acknowledged that the trial of Greg Kelly, his former deputy at Nissan who was indicted in Japan for allegedly serving to Ghosn under-report revenue, will function a proxy for a way he’s in the end judged. Kelly’s attorneys are set to ship their closing arguments subsequent month, with a verdict scheduled for February.

Whereas Ghosn stays holed up in Beirut after leaping bail with the assistance of a former U.S. Inexperienced Beret and his son — who’re each serving jail time in Japan for his or her position within the escape — he’s persevering with authorized battles with France and the Netherlands.

Final month, he appealed a Dutch courtroom’s ruling that he ought to pay virtually 5 million euros ($5.8 million) to an area unit of Nissan.

“I’m personally fairly optimistic concerning the attraction,” he mentioned within the interview. “If there is no such thing as a unhealthy religion from my half, how can I reimburse cash which is owed to me?”

French allegations

Ghosn has additionally been accused by France of siphoning Renault funds to pay for a yacht and Versailles Palace celebration for his spouse. Authorities are investigating his interactions with a automotive distributor in Oman in addition to funds a Dutch subsidiary of Renault and Nissan made to consultants.

Ghosn believes Japan’s authorized system is incapable of rendering justice appropriately and that the French probe is being closely influenced by Japanese prosecutors. However he’s nonetheless hopeful he can salvage his status.

“So long as you aren’t cleared in Japan, there’ll all the time be a doubt on you,” Ghosn mentioned. “However I settle for a second-best place. This primary place is not possible. The second-best place is to be cleared by one other courtroom some place else.”