That executive was Hidetoshi Imazu, Nissan’s statutory auditor. Mr. Imazu, who was appointed to the position in 2014 , is another longtime Nissan executive. “It is the fundamental duty of the auditor to report to the board.” Nissan declined to make Mr. Imazu available for questions. It was not the only time Nissan’s internal system of checks and balances departed from the norm. Two of Nissan’s outside statutory auditors — non-employees assigned to monitor the dealings of the company’s directors — were former executives from financial institutions that had active relationships with Nissan.

Source: New York Times March 28, 2019 23:16 UTC