Tokyo: Carlos Ghosn is likely to remain in Japanese custody for the foreseeable future after a Tokyo court denied him bail Tuesday despite a last-ditch personal appeal by the former Nissan boss.
The decision was expected as the court had previously judged him to be a flight risk, who could potentially tamper with evidence. Even Ghosn’s own lawyer had said earlier that his client will likely remain in jail until his trial.
But ever since his arrest out of the blue November 19 on allegations of financial misconduct, Ghosn’s case has been a rollercoaster ride that has kept Japan and the business world gripped.
A public pledge by the auto tycoon Monday to stay in Japan and wear an electronic tag if necessary appears to have left the Tokyo District Court unmoved.
However, an official at the Japanese justice ministry told this agency: “There is no system in Japan in which a person accused in a criminal case can be released with such a tracking bracelet. The court sets the bail sum and can also add appropriate conditions such as limitations on where the accused should stay.”
Ghosn has been slapped with three separate charges – all of which he denies.
Prosecutors believe he under-declared his income in official statements to shareholders between 2010 and 2015 to the tune of some five billion yen ($46 million) in an apparent attempt to avoid accusations he was overpaid.
A second separate but very similar charge is that he continued to do this between 2015 and 2018, under-reporting his income by a further four billion yen. He also faces a complex charge of seeking to shift personal investment losses onto Nissan’s books and transferring company funds to a Saudi contact who allegedly stumped up collateral for him.
AFP
