Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn’s wife Carole sits down for an interview with CNBC on June 4, 2019.
Michael Newberg | CNBC
Carole Ghosn, the wife of embattled former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, said the upcoming criminal trial in Japan against her husband shows a “dark side” of the nation and bias against foreign executives.
“I think my husband doesn’t look like is going to get a fair trial, the way they are behaving, the way that they are treating him compared to Japanese like Saikawa,” she said of Nissan’s former CEO Hiroto Saikawa, who was allowed to resign earlier this month after an internal investigation found that he received improper payments that weren’t disclosed to shareholders.
Carole Ghosn, who was speaking to CNBC’s Sarah Eisen on “Closing Bell” on Thursday, said the disparity in treatment shows the nation’s favoritism for its own people.
“I think we’re seeing the dark side of Japan Inc. where we see this inward closing culture that is biased to foreigners,” she said.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled charges Monday against Carlos Ghosn and former director Gregory Kelly for filing false financial disclosures that omitted more than $140 million in total compensation.
