The French government is seeking candidates to replace Renault’s embattled boss Carlos Ghosn, as board members began to voice doubts about keeping him in office following his indictment in Japan for suspected misconduct, reports Reuters, citing informed sources.
At a meeting on Thursday, Renault directors were briefed on an investigation by alliance partner Nissan that led to Ghosn’s arrest last month. He was charged this week over the company’s failure to declare 43 million dollars in deferred income he had arranged to receive.
Nissan fired Ghosn as chairman three days after his detention, but Renault has resisted pressure to dismiss him, as the scandal strains their carmaking alliance.
The Renault board on Thursday stuck by its earlier decision to keep him on, with its lead director standing in as interim chairman and deputy CEO Thierry Bolloré leading operations.
In a statement issued by Renault after the meeting, the board “noted that, at this stage, it does not have information concerning Carlos Ghosn’s defence.”
During the five-hour session, however, several directors led by Cherie Blair, wife of the British former prime minister Tony Blair, began to express impatience with that position, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
“What she said, in effect, was that we can’t remain in this situation forever,” one source said of Blair. “At some point you need to move forward and move on.”
A Renault spokesman said he could not comment on board proceedings. Cherie Blair could not immediately be reached for comment.
French officials have already begun listing possible candidates to replace Ghosn as CEO, three sources close to the company said. Senior Toyota executive Didier Leroy will be considered, one said.
“There’s nothing official yet but the government is working on a lineup,” he said. “They’re ready to turn the page.”
A finance ministry official declined to comment. The government, Renault’s biggest shareholder with a 15 percent stake and two board seats, typically plays a major role in succession planning.
“I have no comment on speculation, and I am 100 percent concentrated on my job at Toyota,” Leroy told Reuters.
The boardroom crisis has shaken the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, with Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa calling for changes to weaken the French parent’s control.