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French prosecutors say executives have no case to answer over claims of industrial espionage that triggered diplomatic crisis Renault has been forced to apologise to three executives accused of industrial espionage after Paris prosecutors said they had no case to answer. Prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin said preliminary investigations into the suspected spy ring, in which insiders were thought to have sold secrets of electric-car technology, had enabled his office “to dismiss a certain number of theories, notably that which was put forward in the initial complaint by the company Renault”. In January, it emerged that three executives had been escorted from their offices at Renault’s Technocentre outside Paris, leading the French government to warn that it had been the victim of an “economic war”. President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered his intelligence services to investigate a Chinese link, which threatened to trigger a diplomatic row. The investigation centred on alleged bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein through which the spies could have received cash for revealing Renault’s secrets. But these bank accounts, alleged to have been in the names of the executives, did not exist, the prosecutor said on Sunday. Marin said the investigation was now focusing on whether Renault had been the victim of fraud, as no evidence had emerged backing its complaint of espionage. The Paris prosecutor said Renault had already paid €310,000 (£268,000) for false information and had €390,000 more to pay. Renault confirmed it had convened a special board meeting to discuss the matter. Renault’s chief operating officer, Patrick Pelata, apologised to the three men, pledging to repair the injustice against them. He hinted his own job may be at risk, saying Renault would accept all the consequences “up to the highest level of the company, that is to say up to myself”. The carmaker came under fire for carrying out its own investigation into suspected spying before informing the authorities of its fears. A Renault security manager has been placed under investigation for suspected fraud concerning the spying allegations. One analyst, who asked not to be named, said Pelata was “not necessarily irreplaceable, but it would still be a significant shock” if he stood down over the affair. The case also affects Carlos Ghosn, the dynamic CEO of Renault and its partner Nissan Motor. Early on, he spoke out personally, saying the carmaker had “multiple pieces of evidence” for its allegations. But in February, Ghosn said he had not taken part personally in the investigation. “If every time something happens in a company you had to take your pen and go and look into it to be sure of what people are telling you, the company would cease to exist,” he said. France Renault Automotive industry guardian.co.uk