Former Nissan chief denied bail
A Tokyo court rejected a request by former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn for bail on Tuesday following fresh charges, dashing hopes for an early release from his Japanese jail cell.
The decision means the 64year-old motor tycoon is likely to stay in custody until his trial, which even his own defence lawyer has admitted could take six months to begin.
The Tokyo District Court said a request filed by lawyers for his bail release was rejected.
Ghosn’s main defence lawyer, Motonari Otsuru, immediately vowed to appeal against the court decision.
On Friday, prosecutors pressed formal charges against Ghosn over two more allegations of financial misconduct – all of which the Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese businessman denies.
In a dramatic courtroom appearance on Tuesday, Ghosn denounced the allegations against him, saying he had been wrongly accused and unfairly detained.
He has been indicted on two counts of allegedly underdeclaring his income by more than nine billion yen (R1.14bn) in total over eight fiscal years in documents to shareholders.
Ghosn also stands charged with aggravated breach of trust over a complex alleged scheme in which he is said to have tried to transfer foreign exchange losses to Nissan’s books.
His ongoing detention has prompted some international criticism of Japan’s legal system, which permits prosecutors to hold suspects while they investigate an allegation, and also allows lengthy pretrial detention once charges have been filed.
Carole Ghosn, his wife, has alleged her husband is being held in harsh conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations intended to extract a confession.
In a letter to Human Rights Watch, she sought to “press the government to reform its draconian system of pretrial detention and interrogation”.
But deputy chief prosecutor Shin Kukimoto has defended Japan’s investigative procedures, saying he had anticipated overseas criticism. –