A Japanese court on Friday approved the detention of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn through April 14 after his fourth arrest over financial misconduct allegations.
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Ghosn was taken into custody Thursday and is being held at the Tokyo Detention Center. The detention request was approved by the Tokyo District Court, the court said in a statement. Prosecutors can ask for another 10-day extension.
Ghosn, 65, was arrested Nov. 19 and released March 6 on 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail. He says he is innocent of all allegations.
The latest arrest is on suspicion that $5 million sent by a Nissan subsidiary, meant for an Oman dealership, was diverted to a company effectively controlled by Ghosn.
Friday’s decision means Ghosn won’t be released in time for the April 11 news conference he had promised to hold “to tell the truth about what’s happening.”
His lawyer Junichiro Hironaka told reporters arresting his client again was unfair when Ghosn had cleared the bail conditions.
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Prosecutors had earlier tried to block the release, saying he may be a flight risk and he may destroy or tamper with evidence. They demanded the latest detention, arguing that he may tamper with evidence related to the fresh allegations.
The earlier allegations, on which Ghosn has been charged, involve under-stating his compensation in financial documents, having Nissan shoulder investment losses and making payments to a Saudi businessman.
Ghosn says the compensation was never decided or paid, the investment losses were never suffered and the payments were for legitimate services.
Ghosn’s case and the extended detention without a conviction are drawing scrutiny to Japan’s criminal justice system.
Legal experts say Ghosn’s release on bail came quickly, and many defendants endure months, in extreme cases more than a year, incarcerated while they await trial.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en
