Can French judges clear Carlos Ghosn's name? He hopes so

BEIRUT (AP) — Former auto magnate Carlos Ghosn expects to get hit with at least one preliminary charge after French investigators travel to Beirut next week to question him over suspicions of financial misconduct. But he insists he's done nothing wrong and hopes their investigations are eventually dropped.

Lavish parties in Versailles, questionable payments to an Omani car dealer, suspected tax evasion — these are the subjects of multiple investigations in France involving Ghosn's actions as the head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi car alliance. They were opened amid new scrutiny of Ghosn after his shocking 2018 arrest in Japan.

In an interview with The Associated Press, he said he's hoping that he has a better chance of defending himself in France than in Japan, which he fled in a brazen getaway in 2019.

“I have much more confidence in the French legal system than in the Japanese system,” he said Tuesday.

Still, he said he has no “illusions” that the cases would be immediately dropped.

“It would be a miracle if I weren’t handed preliminary charges on at least one count," he said. "But ... in the end, a judge will decide what’s true. My goal is to provide explanations, lay my documents on the table, let the investigating judges determine whether there is a case of misconduct or not and let justice follow its course.”

In an unusual move, French investigating magistrates are going to question Ghosn for several days starting Monday in Beirut, where he is being given sanctuary by Lebanese authorities. Ghosn grew up in Lebanon and has Lebanese citizenship, and Lebanon won't extradite him.

He hasn't yet been charged with anything in France, but could be given preliminary charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, misuse of company assets, or aggravated breach of...