The trial of Carlos Ghosn will probably be postponed until next year: the media

The trial of former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, due to begin in September, will be delayed, local media reported Saturday, hinting that he might not start this year.

The 65-year-old mogul, currently on bail, is preparing for his trial on four counts of financial indictment, ranging from hiding part of his salary to shareholders to a misappropriation of Nissan funds for his personal use.

The Tokyo District Court had offered to start its trial in September during preliminary talks with its lawyers and prosecutors, reported sources citing unnamed sources.

Kyodo News said the court could announce that the plan would have been withdrawn without proposing a new deadline, said the court, adding that the decision could prevent the trial from starting this year.

The court also decided not to separate the lawsuit from Ghosn, his close badociate Greg Kelly and Nissan, all accused of violating the financial instruments law by under-reporting the Ghosn compensation, according to Kyodo.

His lawyers have until now required that he be tried separately from Nissan and expressed fear that he will not receive a fair trial.

The Sankei Shimbun also said that the prosecutors had waived his appeal for bail on bail in the Supreme Court, which could jeopardize his return to prison unless he was arrested again for further charges. .

Immediate confirmation of the news was not available.

On Thursday, Ghosn left his Tokyo detention center after accepting a $ 4.5 million bail under strict conditions, including restrictions on his wife's visit.

His case has captivated Japan and the business world with its many twists, while highlighting the Japanese justice system that critics call too severe.

Ghosn denies all accusations, a spokesman for the executive said Monday that he "vigorously defend against these baseless accusations and hoped to be fully justified."

Hours after his release, Mr. Ghosn said: "No one should be detained indefinitely in solitary confinement for the purpose of being forced to confess."

The dramatic case has drawn the attention of the international community to the Japanese justice system, which has been described as "hostage justice" by critics, as it allows for prolonged detention and relies heavily on the confessions of suspects.