Carlos Ghosn pending a decision on his custody

The Tokyo prosecutor's office is expected to demand Friday the extension of the custody of Carlos Ghosn, almighty boss arrested November 19 in Tokyo in the context of a case of revenue concealment worldwide impact.

Her detention has already been extended once, and can be renewed for another 10 days, at the discretion of a judge, a standard procedure in the Japanese judicial system.

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Prosecutors plan to file a petition Friday, the mainstream media reported.

If the Tokyo court responds favorably, Mr. Ghosn will remain in custody until December 10. On that date, he may be released without charges, or charged, and in the aftermath incarcerated or released on bail.

At this point, the CEO of the Alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors is suspected of having minimized its revenues to Nissan of one billion yen per year (7.7 million euros) over the period of April 2010 to March 2015, in public documents submitted by the company to the Japanese financial authorities.

But according to a source close to the file questioned by AFP, the survey shows that this situation began in 2009 and lasted again last year.

Investigations could therefore theoretically be extended to other years, or for other reasons, Nissan reproaching his former boss for committing abuses of corporate assets, such as the use of luxury residences at the expense of company.

In this case, Mr Ghosn, who denies any wrongdoing, could be re-arrested and the process repeated.

– Criticized as unfounded –

Faced with criticisms abroad, especially in France, the length and conditions of detention, the prosecution has defended itself.

"Every country has its own history, its own tradition, its own judicial systems, I do not criticize the rules of other countries just because they are different, and I find it wrong to do so," said prosecutor Shin Kukimoto. Tokyo deputy, at a press conference on Thursday.

"We do not keep suspects in prolonged custody if it's not necessary," he said.

Far from his glitzy lifestyle, Carlos Ghosn is now staying in a prison cell in North Tokyo. His lawyers can not attend the hearings and visits are very limited.

According to Japanese media reports, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may raise the issue on the sidelines of the G20 summit, which opens Friday in Argentina.

"For the moment, no decision has been made as to the holding of discussions," said Friday a spokesman for the Japanese government, Yasutoshi Nishimura.

– Three men for an alliance –

In the automotive field, the boards of directors of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors did not wait for the conclusions of the investigation to dismiss Carlos Ghosn from the presidency, while he remains CEO of Renault and the joint venture Renault- Nissan BV on paper.

On Thursday, the executive bosses of the builders all spoke for the first time since the arrest of the one who built an alliance now weakened.

The tone was intended reassuring, not surprisingly: they recalled "their deep attachment" to this structure that dominates the global automotive market, with 10.6 million vehicles sold in 2017.

Asked in the evening by the Japanese media in front of his Tokyo home, the head of Nissan, Hiroto Saikawa, welcomed a discussion "extremely important" with its partners: the number two of Renault, Thierry Bolloré, and the CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, Osamu Masuko.

"We confirmed that we would lead the alliance to three," he told reporters. Since the arrest of his former mentor, Mr. Saikawa has strongly denounced the concentration of power in Mr. Ghosn's hands.

His counterpart from Mitsubishi said the same thing: "So far only one person was in charge, now we are three to work together, that's a big difference".