Christina Murray, chief internal audit and global compliance at Nissan Motor Corp., resigned abruptly last week, after leading an investigation into improper compensation practices and other wrongdoing at the automaker.
Reports indicate that Murray resigned in frustration when the results of the investigation led to the ouster of only a few individuals at the company, including Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa who announced he would be resigning at a new conference Monday. The investigation found that Saikawa and others benefited inappropriately from a bonus plan at the automaker. Specifically, the audit found Saikawa was overpaid by more than $450,000 in stock options in 2013 while he was an executive vice president.
Nissan launched the internal audit in the wake of a scandal centered on former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was ousted and arrested late last year on allegations of corruption and improper payments.
“The audit’s conclusions focus largely on Ghosn and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly, accusing them of costing the firm at least 35 billion yen ($326 million) — a figure that includes deferred payments that were never actually made,” a report by International Business Times states.
“Murray’s departure could be a setback for Nissan’s efforts to root out malfeasance as the company tries to reform corporate governance in the wake of the Ghosn upheaval,” noted a report by Automotive News Europe.
Murray declined to comment for this article other than to say that she wanted to move on.
Such a sad day for Nissan Inc. Corrupation at its highest in persons of trusted authority, who refuse to adhere to any personal integrity or organisation’s codes of ethics. I don’t blame this CAE for resigning if she reported her findings to her superiors, and it was swept away or ignored.