Former chairman Charlos Ghosn faces two fresh charges in Japan involving financial crimes.

He has been detained in the country since November charged with aggravated breach of  trust and understating his income. He denies all wrongdoing.

He was first charged with under reporting his pay package for the five years to 2015. A fresh charge now claims the understated his compensation for another three years.

He was also indicted on a new, more serious charge of breach of trust.

Nissan and Mitsubishi have since removed Ghosn as chairman although he has been kept on as chairman of Alliance partner Renault which said it has not yet found any evidence of wrongdoing.

The board of the French carmaker said an investigation into executive pay had so far shown no signs of fraud.

Senior Nissan Director Greg Kelly has also been embroiled in the scandal in Japan while the Reuters News Agency has divulged personal data relating to Mouna Sepehri, Executive Vice President, Office of the CEO of Groupe Renault.

A statement from Renault said a review process has “concluded that the remunerations are compliant and exempt from any fraud, in respect of all the current members of Groupe Renault Executive Committee, including Mouna Sepehri, for the 2017 and 2018 financial years”.

It added that Groupe Renault considers that the publication of allegations against an executive of the group is “part of a purposefully orchestrated destabilisation campaign”.

Renault said that the press release published by Reuters News Agency contains information that is “either erroneous or arranged in a deliberately biased manner, as well as personal data”.

The carmaker said it reserves its right to introduce legal proceedings.