Ghosn: bail conditions revealed by a lawyer

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AFP

The lawyer of former Nissan chief, Carlos Ghosn, revealed the conditions that his client had to respect to obtain his initial release on bail.

Among the conditions the 65-year-old faced, there was the use of a single computer, in the office of his lawyer, and a cell phone.

A 24-hour surveillance camera was also to be installed at the entrance to his permanent residence approved by the court.

Mr. Ghosn was arrested again in Tokyo last week while awaiting trial for charges of financial misconduct.

He was arrested because he was suspected of having tried to enrich himself at the expense of the automaker.

In a statement, Mr Ghosn – who denies any wrongdoing – said his new arrest was "scandalous and arbitrary".

Internet records

Takashi Takano, Mr. Ghosn's lawyer, published a blog (in Japanese) over the weekend in which he described the terms of his client's bail after his release on March 6. .

Mr. Ghosn was released on bail of $ 9 million ($ 108 million) after 108 days of detention.

The conditions set by Mr. Ghosn must not flee or hide, nor travel abroad. Any trip of more than three days inside Japan would have required a judicial sanction.

Any change of address also had to be approved by a court.

Mr. Ghosn was also to keep a diary of all the people he met – with the exception of his wife and his lawyer, as well as recordings of phone calls and use of # 39; s internet.

He was also ordered not to contact several other defendants, including Greg Kelly, a member of the board, who was suspected of collaborating with Ghosn.

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Tokyo attorneys entered Thursday Mr. Ghosn's residence before 6:00 am (local time) and took him to their office, suspected of misappropriating Nissan funds for their personal use, reported the NHK Japanese diffuser.

Mr. Ghosn's lawyer said that it was almost unheard of to arrest someone after being released on bail.

"I am innocent of baseless accusations and charges against me," Ghosn said in a statement issued by his representatives.

He added that the arrest was "part of another attempt by some people at Nissan to silence me by misleading prosecutors".

Nissan will hold a special shareholders' meeting Monday, during which the automaker is expected to fire Ghosn and his former deputy, Kelly, from the board of directors.

Oman links?

This move is the last turning point in a case that has caught the attention of the whole world.

Mr Ghosn was the alliance architect between Nissan and the French car manufacturer Renault. He recruited Mitsubishi in 2016. He is known for turning around the fortunes of Nissan and Renault for several years.

Prosecutors said Ghosn's latest arrest was related to Nissan funds transfers of a total of $ 15 million between 2015 and 2018.

They suspect that Mr. Ghosn used $ 5 million of this amount for his personal expenses.

Local media had previously said the authorities were preparing a new case against him involving payments to a dealer in Oman.

In Japan, prosecutors are allowed to re-arrest a suspect on a slightly different charge, with court approval. The clock is then reset and another 20 days of interrogation can begin.

Allegations of misconduct

Mr. Ghosn was arrested for the first time in November for underestimating his salary. He was arrested again twice in December and faces three charges.

He was first accused of under-reporting his pay package for the next five years in 2015.

In January, new charges were brought against him, claiming that he had underestimated compensation for three more years and that he had also been charged with a new, more serious charge. breach of trust.

On April 3, the car official had announced, in a newly created Twitter account, that he was organizing a press conference on April 11 "to tell the truth about what's going on".