A Tokyo court denied prosecutors' last-minute bid to keep Carlos Ghosn in detention, paving the way for his release on $8.9 million bail after more than 100 days in a small, unheated cell since his November 2018 arrest. The former Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi Motors chairman will remain under strict surveillance, including camera monitoring at his residence and restricted communication with case participants.
Ghosn faces allegations of underreporting $82 million in compensation to Nissan over nearly a decade, with potential penalties including up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has consistently denied the charges, calling them "meritless" and "unsubstantiated" in a public statement. His legal team, now led by attorney Junichiro Hironaka, plans to adopt a more aggressive defense strategy compared to his initial representation.
The case has drawn scrutiny of Japan's criminal justice system, which permits prolonged pretrial detention and restricts defense lawyers from participating in interrogations lasting up to eight hours daily. Despite the bail ruling, Ghosn's path to acquittal remains challenging given the nation's 99.9% conviction rate.
Credited with revitalizing Nissan in the early 2000s, Ghosn's arrest disrupted plans for a full merger of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. The 65-year-old executive, who held French citizenship, will now have greater access to his new legal team as he prepares for trial.
