Renault has appointed its chief operating officer Thierry Bolloré as deputy CEO on a temporary basis as it explores allegations of serious misconduct by CEO Carlos Ghosn.

Renault said Carlos Ghosn would be temporarily replaced by Thierry Bolloré as deputy CEO 

Although fellow Alliance member Nissan had said on Monday that it plans to oust Ghosn as its chairman as it alleged that he and another senior executive Greg Kelly had been under reporting compensation amounts, Renault said last night that its Board was “unable to comment on the evidence seemingly gathered against Mr Ghosn by Nissan and the Japanese judicial authorities”.

The statement, published following an emergency board meeting on Tuesday, saw the carmaker outline that Ghosn, although “temporarily incapacitated” would remain as its chairman and CEO but Bolloré would lead the management team of the Group in his absence, having the same powers as Ghosn.

Mitsubishi, which named Ghosn as chairman in 2016, has not commented on any changes to his role there.

Since Nissan’s comments on Monday, prosecutors have said in a statement that Ghosn and senior executive Greg Kelly had conspired to understate Ghosn’s compensation, starting back from 2010. According to Japanese media reports, Ghosn could be detained for 10 days by the local police to explore the allegations.