Nissan Motor Co. is stepping up its pursuit of claims against former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, suing for ¥10 billion ($91 million) in damages from the former leader of the Japanese automaker and its alliance with Renault SA.

The lawsuit filed in Yokohama District Court seeks to "recover a significant part of the monetary damages inflicted on the company by its former Chairman as a result of years of his misconduct and fraudulent activity," Nissan said in a statement Wednesday. The amount of the claim may rise depending on fines and penalties that Nissan will be obliged to pay, the carmaker added.

Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 on charges of financial wrongdoing, and faced trial in Japan until making a dramatic escape to Lebanon at the end of December. Nissan and Japanese prosecutors claim the former auto executive under-reported his income and used company money for personal gain, charges which Ghosn has denied.