French government vows Renault reform after meeting with Ghosn

The French government will see to it that the individuals responsible for the now debunked Renault SA espionage affair are dealt with, the Finance and Industry ministers said in a statement.

"The ministers underscored that they will pay close attention to organizational reform and individual responsibility (at Renault) based on the result of the audit," Finance minister Christine Lagarde and Industry Minister Eric Besson said in a joint statement after meeting with Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn on Thursday.

The French state, which owns 15 percent of Renault, has called for a thorough investigation into discredited claims that three Renault executives were spying on the carmaker, possibly for a foreign government.

The affair has embarrassed the French government.

Renault bosses pledged on Monday to forgo their bonuses after the Paris prosecutor said the espionage case was unfounded. Renault apologized to the three falsely accused executives and offered to reinstate and compensate them.

Renault, whose alliance partner is Japan's Nissan Motor Co., fired the three men in January on suspicion of industrial espionage. The three men denied wrongdoing from the start and began legal action against the carmaker.

A Renault security manager was on Sunday placed under investigation for suspected fraud concerning the spying allegations.

By Automotive News Europe