Renault had considered the possibility of suicides among its executives involved in the industrial espionage case

At the beginning of last year, we learned with some surprise that Renault had dismissed three of its executives, Messrs Balthazard, Bertrand Rochette and Matthieu Tenenbaum, for attempted industrial espionage on behalf of companies based in China.

But the matter is back in the spotlight, now taking a rather bizarre turn, after the French press revealed yesterday that Renault had prepared letters of condolence in case its three executives committed suicide. That did not happen; instead, all three were compensated with a large sum of money and later pardoned by Renault, once it became known that the accusations were false.

For now, the case is not yet closed. Investigations now point to the fact that those in charge of the company’s internal investigation, who reportedly demanded money in exchange for real data on bank transfers from Balthazard, Rochette and Tenenbaum, will be charged with fraud for handing over data that was false.

However one looks at it, this appears to be a very high-level manoeuvre aimed at harming Renault or ending the careers of the three executives mentioned, something that nearly cost Carlos Ghosn his own position and that has come to involve figures within the French government.

Source: Automotive News