Nissan is suing Carlos Ghosn for $90 million

Nissan has slapped its former CEO, who fled Japan while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges, with a civil lawsuit.

The automaker is suing former chair and CEO Carlos Ghosn in Japan for 10 billion yen, or $90 million, saying it's seeking to recover damages from his alleged financial misconduct and fraud, The New York Times reports.

Ghosn at the end of last year evaded Japanese authorities and fled to Lebanon while facing charges of financial misconduct, including allegedly underreporting his income. At the time, the former Nissan executive, who has denied the charges, said he had "not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution."

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Nissan had already filed a civil case against Ghosn in the British Virgin Islands; this new lawsuit concerns the costs of what Nissan alleges to be Ghosn's "corrupt practices" and of the company's internal investigation, The Associated Press reports.

After Ghosn's news conference last month placing blame on Nissan, the company on Wednesday also threatened to pursue more legal action against him for his "groundless and defamatory" remarks, Reuters reports. In response to the lawsuit Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ghosn told the Times, "Nissan's maneuvers continue."