Nissan’s Kelly granted bail by Tokyo court

tokyo — Former Nissan Motor representative director Greg Kelly was granted bail by a Tokyo court on Tuesday, raising the possibility he could be freed before Christmas was over, although Carlos Ghosn, the automaker’s ousted chairman, remains in custody.

Kelly’s bail was set at 70 million yen ($635,612), the Tokyo District Court said in a statement. The court later said he had paid the bail in cash.

Kelly has been detained along with his former boss since their first arrest on November 19 on suspicion of understating Ghosn’s income in financial statements for several years. Neither Kelly nor Ghosn have been able to defend themselves in public, so Kelly’s release could give him the first opportunity to do so. The arrests have jolted the global car industry and strained Nissan’s alliance with French car maker Renault. Both Kelly and Ghosn remain on the Japanese car maker’s board but without representative rights.

Nissan asks staff to avoid contacting Ghosn, Kelly

Nissan has asked its staff to refrain from any communications with jailed directors Carlos Ghosn and Greg Kelly and their lawyers as Japanese prosecutors investigate the officials at the center of a scandal about under-reporting of pay.

Employees were asked not to get in touch on their own and not to respond if contacted, according to an internal memo Nissan wrote to its employees Friday. Nissan staff should immediately report the contact or attempted contact to the company’s legal department, according to the notice.