2:34 pm, January 17, 2019
A TOKYO court today rejected another appeal by lawyers of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn to have him released on bail.
The lawyers had appealed against a rejection by Tokyo District Court two days ago of their request that he be granted bail. Ghosn has been held at a Tokyo detention centre since his arrest on November 19.
He has been charged with two crimes – falsifying financial reports by allegedly under-reporting his income over the past eight years, and breach of trust for allegedly causing Nissan to shoulder his personal investment losses and make payments to a Saudi businessman who helped out.
The 64-year-old, who led Nissan for two decades, asserted his innocence in court last week – his first public appearance since the arrest.
France’s economy minister has asked Nissan’s alliance partner Renault to choose a successor to Ghosn. So far, though, it has only named an acting chairman. Nissan dismissed him as chairman days after his arrest as did Mitsubishi, which is also part of the alliance.
Suspects and defendants in Japan can be detained for months before trial, and legal experts say bail requests for those who deny their allegations are less likely to be granted than for those who confess.
Japanese prosecutors have a 99 per cent-plus conviction rate in criminal cases and – unlike in the UK – suspects are generally not presumed innocent until proved guilty.
MORE: Lawyers appeal against Ghosn bail rejection as Renault may finally ditch him
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