The espionage scandal at the French automaker that has captivated the corporate governance world for three months already, just got even more unhinged. Newly released tapes of a company meeting show that Renault knew allegations against its employees could have been shady—but that it went ahead and fired them anyway.
First, Renault fired three employees in January, including a management committee member, after allegations that they were sharing electric car secrets with China. Then, when French prosecutors found no supporting evidence, the company exonerated the men and began investigating whether a fraud had been committed against them. Now, tapes of company meetings obtained by the French political magazine l’Express show that Renault wasn’t sure of the proof of the alleged espionage in the first place, contrary to what Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has stated publically.
