Former Nissan Motor chairman released on bail

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Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn left a Tokyo jail on Wednesday after more than 100 days of detention, a day after a surprise court decision granting him bail of one billion yen (8.9 million U.S. dollars).

This follows a last ditch appeal by prosecutors to keep Ghosn in prison, where he has been confined to a small, unheated room since his November 19 arrest. But the Tokyo District Court rejected the motion on Tuesday.

The court confirmed on Wednesday that Ghosn had posted the one billion yen bail, among the highest ever in Japan.

Earlier in the day, a car from the Embassy of France, where Ghosn holds nationality, arrived at the detention center in eastern Tokyo as media helicopters swirled overhead. Hundreds of reporters, photographers and TV crews gathered outside the facility, many of whom had camped overnight to secure positions.

Carlos Ghosn, the once-revered leader of Nissan Motor, was dismissed as chairman of the group after a board meeting, November 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

The court granted bail to the former chairman of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors after his lawyers gave assurances that Ghosn would remain in Tokyo, surrender his passport to his lawyer and submit to extensive surveillance.

Ghosn has also agreed to set up cameras at the entrances and exits to his residence, and is prohibited from using the Internet or sending and receiving text messages. He is banned from communicating with parties involved in his case, and permitted computer access only at his lawyer's office.

He faces charges of aggravated breach of trust and under-reporting his compensation to the tune of 82 million U.S. dollars at Nissan for nearly a decade. If convicted on all charges, Ghosn faces up to 15 years in jail.

(Top image: Carlos Ghosn (C-light blue cap) is escorted as he walks out of the Tokyo Detention House following his release on bail in Tokyo, March 6, 2019./ VCG photo)

Source(s): Reuters