National Post (National Edition)
Japan court OK’S Nissan ex-chairman Ghosn’s release on bail.
TOKYO • A Tokyo court approved the release of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn on 1 billion yen (US$8.9 million) bail on Tuesday, rejecting an appeal by prosecutors to keep him jailed, a lawyer for the auto executive said. He could be freed as soon as Wednesday morning.
Jean-yves Le Borgne, Ghosn’s French lawyer, said a court issued a late-night ruling rejecting prosecutors’ appeal of the initial ruling. Le Borgne cautioned that prosecutors still had leeway to file new charges as they had done once before.
Ghosn said in a statement he is grateful for his family, friends and human rights activists from around the world who have helped him.
“I am innocent and totally committed to vigorously defending myself in a fair trial against these meritless and unsubstantiated accusations,” he said in the statement issued Tuesday.
The former head of the Renault-nissan-mitsubishi Motors alliance has been detained since Nov. 19. He says he is innocent of charges of falsifying financial information and of breach of trust.
His Japanese lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, is famous for winning acquittals in Japan, where the conviction rate is 99 per cent. Hironaka said the legal team “proposed concrete ways showing how he would not tamper with evidence or try to flee.”
Hironaka said Monday he had offered new ways to monitor Ghosn after his re- lease, such as camera surveillance. Hironaka also questioned the grounds for Ghosn’s arrest, calling the case “very peculiar,” and suggesting it could have been dealt with as an internal company matter.
In Japan, suspects are routinely detained for months, often until their trials start. That’s especially true of those who insist on their innocence. The 1-billion-yen bail was relatively high but not the highest ever in Japan.
Among conditions for Ghosn’s release were restrictions on where he can live, his cellphone use, a ban on foreign travel and a ban on contact with Nissan executives, according to Kyodo News.
Prosecutors say suspects may tamper with evidence and shouldn’t be released.
Ghosn is charged with falsifying financial reports by under-reporting compensation that he contends was never paid or decided upon. The breach of trust allegations centre on a temporary transfer of Ghosn’s investment losses to Nissan’s books that he says caused no losses to the automaker.
Ghosn’s family had appealed for his release, calling his detention a human rights violation.