Lawyers of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn went to court in Amsterdam on Monday over a wrongful dismissal case to seek disclosure of evidence that led to Ghosn being fired.
Ghosn’s Dutch lawyer Roeland de Mol stated after the hearing that he wants a “level playing field” in his fight to have Ghosn’s dismissal from the Amsterdam-based alliance between Nissan and Mitsubishi overturned.
Ghosn also is looking for 15 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation, De Mol added.
A lawyer for Nissan, Eelco Meerdink, referred to the request as “a fishing expedition”. The company argues it has already provided a enough documents to Ghosn’s legal team.
It was unclear if judges might call Ghosn to testify in this case.
The Dutch case emerges from Nissan’s decision to oust Ghosn after he was accused of financial misconduct in Japan. Ghosn has denied all charges against himself.
The businessman skipped bail in Tokyo in December and fled to Lebanon.
Ghosn’s escape has raised concerns around the case in Japan, as Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. The Amsterdam civil case is moving ahead, also in his absence.
“In the end the only thing we want is a level playing field,” stated De Mol on his request for disclosure. “We want to have this discussion with all our cards on the table: Our cards on the table, their cards on the table and then the judge can decide who’s to blame here.”
De Mol stated that the court ruled that lawyers for Nissan Mitsubishi must give their defense in writing in six weeks. The court stated it had called for “an exchange of documents” but did not elaborate more.
