Ghosn, Nissan at Odds over Entry into Expensive Brazil Condo

December 11, 2018

Sao Paulo--Former Nissan Motor Co. <7201> Chairman Carlos Ghosn and the Japanese automaker are fighting in court over entry into a luxury apartment in Rio de Janeiro that Nissan let him use as his home.

The condominium, which faces the Copacabana coast, was purchased by a Nissan subsidiary in 2012, according to local news reports.

The Nissan side replaced the condo's lock on Nov. 19, when Ghosn was arrested in Japan, in order to prevent people related to Ghosn from entering.

In response, Ghosn and Caroline Ghosn, one of his daughters, made a request to a court in Rio de Janeiro to allow their entry into the apartment, claiming that company officials entered the condo without permission and that they need to remove their personal belongings.

The Nissan side called on the court to maintain the condo in the current state, saying that there was a risk of destruction of evidence.

The court handed down a provisional ruling on Thursday to allow the Ghosn side to enter the condo for up to 24 hours.

But Nissan filed a complaint immediately. The court responded by suspending the ruling on Saturday, saying any loss of evidence could do irreversible damage to Nissan.

The Nissan side said that assets wrongfully purchased with corporate funds might be stored inside the three safes found in the apartment.

It requested through the court that the Ghosn side disclose what is inside the safes. 

The Ghosn side looks ready to resist the Nissan actions.Jiji Press