Ex-Nissan chief faces charges
▶ Prosecutors serve Ghosn fresh warrant
Japanese prosecutors Monday formally charged Carlos Ghosn with financial misconduct for under-reporting his salary and also served him a fresh warrant on separate allegations, meaning the tycoon will likely spend Christmas in a cell.
It represents a stunning turnaround for the 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive, a once-revered colossus of the auto sector who won wide acclaim in Japan for saving car giant Nissan.
In a move that sent shockwaves through the business world, the former Nissan chairman was arrested on November 19 on suspicion of underdeclaring his income by some five billion yen ($44 million) between 2010 and 2015.
Prosecutors on Monday pressed formal charges on Ghosn – and key aide Greg Kelly – over this allegation, which both men are said to deny.
The pair were also immediately re-arrested over fresh allegations that they conspired to under-declare Ghosn’s income by a further four billion yen over the past three years.
Under Japanese law, suspects can be re-arrested several times for different allegations, allowing prosecutors to question them for prolonged periods – a system that has drawn criticism internationally.
Monday was the final day prosecutors could hold Ghosn and Kelly, 62, before either charging or re-arresting them, and the fresh arrest gives them up to another 22 days of questioning.
In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors also indicted Nissan itself, as the company submitted the official documents that under-reported the income.
Nissan shares dropped 2.90 percent to 945 yen in Monday trading and the firm voiced “its deepest regret” over the affair.
The manufacturer said it would “continue its efforts to strengthen its governance and compliance, including making accurate disclosures of corporate information.”
The Japanese firms in the three-way alliance with Renault – Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors – have both sacked Ghosn as chairman.
But amid reports of tension within the tie-up, which outsold all rival groups last year, the three companies last month said they were “fully committed” to the alliance.
Ghosn, who attracted some criticism for a perceived lavish lifestyle, is now alone in a spartan cell in a Tokyo detention center, in a tiny room measuring just three tatami mats – around five square meters.