Lavish parties to a solitary cell

CARLOS GHOSN: JAILED FOR FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT

Barren rooms have nothing but a bed, toilet, and a handle-less door.

Asolitary cell, 30 minutes of daily exercise and two baths a week: Carlos Ghosn’s new routine is a world away from the private jets and lavish parties the millionaire tycoon once enjoyed.

The 64-year-old auto industry titan stands accused of serious financial misconduct and is being questioned at a concrete 12-floor detention centre in northern Tokyo which also houses convicted criminals and even death-row inmates.

While it is impossible to know Ghosn’s exact surroundings, lawyers who have made several visits there to clients as well as former detainees paint a picture of an austere facility where solitude is the biggest enemy.

Veteran attorney Yoshiro Ito said the barren rooms have nothing but a bed, toilet, and a handle-less door with an iron-barred window.

Detainees follow a strict routine. Wake-up call is shortly before 7am and lights out at 9pm.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided. For an extra charge, inmates can order additional food from pre-approved options.

It is a far cry from the macaroons and colourful cakes photographed at Ghosn’s Marie-Antoinette-themed wedding party thrown in 2016 at the sumptuous Palace of Versailles near Paris.

Inmates have the option of taking half an hour of physical exercise and can take a bath twice a week.

“You can wear your own clothing but ties, strings and belts are taken away to prevent suicide,” said Ito.

Books and letters can be sent in but are all censored by prison officials.

Generally, high-profile detainees are kept away from other inmates, with the cells either side and in front left vacant.

“There are solitary cells as well as rooms that can accommodate several people, but in special cases like Mr Ghosn, I believe he is undoubtedly in a solitary room,” said lawyer Ito. –