Carlos Ghosn's Superyacht To Be Seized As Part of Legal Ruling

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague
Carlos Ghosn

The Carlos Ghosn saga kicked off several years ago now, but the case is far from being settled. Several years after the disgraced auto exec fled to Lebanon, the British Virgin Islands High Court ruled that he must surrender a superyacht allegedly purchased using funds he siphoned away from the automaker.


The 121-foot vessel must now be surrendered to Nissan Motor Company. Ghosn, his wife, and a company they used to buy the ship were also ordered to pay $32 million in damages. Ferretti, an Italian luxury boat builder, constructed the yacht, which is said to have seven bathrooms and five main cabins.


Ghosn allegedly funneled the money through a chain of shady business entities with some of it traced to a California investments business and a company tied to the yacht’s purchase. The court’s judgment said, “It is in the Court’s respectful judgment clear as a matter of fact that the sums paid away from Nissan/NME [Nissan Middle East] were for purposes other than the proper purposes of Nissan and NME; and the payments to Mr. Ghosn, Beauty Yachts, and Shogun were made in order to benefit Mr. Ghosn or his nominees.”

The former Nissan and Renault executive’s legal troubles continue elsewhere as well. Despite his relative freedom in Lebanon, he remains on Interpol’s red notice wanted list, and courts in other countries have charged him with serious financial crimes. His life in the Middle Eastern country appears to be safe for now, however, as it does not have extradition agreements that could endanger his freedom.


[Images: Shutterstock]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Probert Probert on Sep 27, 2024
    First they come for his superyacht, and then they'll come for your superyacht!! So unfair- fake media - weaponized something - sharks - pets - other stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Big Al from Oz Big Al from Oz 7 days ago
    The Port of Beirut doesn't require dredging for a few more decades were Ghosn can moor his yacht. He then can "work from home" using Skype and run Stallantis.
  • EBFlex Garbage but for less!
  • FreedMike I actually had a deal in place for a PHEV - a Mazda CX-90 - but it turned out to be too big to fit comfortably in my garage, thus making too difficult to charge, so I passed. But from that, I learned the Truth About PHEVs - they're a VERY niche product, and probably always be, because their use case is rather nebulous. Yes, you can run on EV power for 25-30 miles, plug it in at home on a slow charger, and the next day, you're ready to go again. Great in theory, but in practice, a) you still need a home charger, b) you paid a LOT more for the car than you would have for a standard hybrid, and c) you discover the nasty secret of PHEVs, which is that when they're on battery power, they're absolute pigs to drive. Meanwhile, to maintain its' piglike battery-only performance, it still needs to be charged, so you're running into all the (overstated) challenges that BEV owners have, with none of the performance that BEV owners like. To quote King George in "Hamilton": " Awesome. Wow." In the Mazda's case, the PHEV tech was used as a performance enhancer - which worked VERY nicely - but it's the only performance-oriented PHEV out there that doesn't have a Mercedes-level pricetag. So who's the ideal owner here? Far as I can tell, it's someone who doesn't mind doing his 25 mile daily commute in a car that's slow as f*ck, but also wants to take the car on long road trips that would be inconvenient in a BEV. Meanwhile, the MPG Uber Alles buyers are VERY cost conscious - thus the MPG Uber Alles thing - and won't be enthusiastic about spending thousands more to get similar mileage to a standard hybrid. That's why the Volt failed. The tech is great for a narrow slice of buyers, but I think the real star of the PHEV revival show is the same tax credits that many BEVs get.
  • RHD The speed limit was raised from 62.1 MPH to 68.3 MPH. It's a slight difference which will, more than anything, lower the fines for the guy caught going 140 KPH.
  • Msquare The argument for unlimited autobahns has historically been that lane discipline is a life-or-death thing instead of a suggestion. That and marketing cars designed for autobahn speeds gives German automakers an advantage even in places where you can't hope to reach such speeds. Not just because of enforcement, but because of road conditions. An old Honda commercial voiced by Burgess Meredith had an Accord going 110 mph. Burgess said, "At 110 miles per hour, we have found the Accord to be quiet and comfortable. At half that speed, you may find it to be twice as quiet and comfortable." That has sold Mercedes, BMW's and even Volkswagens for decades. The Green Party has been pushing for decades for a 100 km/h blanket limit for environmental reasons, with zero success.
  • Varezhka The upcoming mild-hybrid version (aka 500 Ibrida) can't come soon enough. Since the new 500e is based on the old Alfa Mito and Opel Adam platform (now renamed STLA City) you'd have thought they've developed the gas version together.
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