After a complete overhaul of his legal team, Carlos Ghosn's newly hired lawyers have finally convinced a Japanese court to grant their client's bail. A court in the country where Ghosn has been held for over three months has finally announced that it will be allowing the ousted Nissan Motor Corp chairman to walk free as early as next week.
The court, however, revealed that it would only allow Ghosn to be out on bail if he fully submits to constant video surveillance and around the clock communications monitoring. Ghosn would also have to immediately pay his bail of US$12.11 million if he wants to be released from detention.
Prior to his arrest last November, Ghosn was considered to be one of the most powerful and effective executives in the industry. Under his wing, Renault was able to partner with Nissan and Mitsubishi; a move that saw the companies recover from their continually decreasing bottom lines.
Prosecutors in Japan have already filed their appeal to the Tokyo District Court, requesting for it to retract its decision to allow Ghosn to post bail. The executive has been held at the Tokyo Detention Center for a total of 107 days since his arrest. If he can come up with the funds to make his bail payment, he will reportedly be immediately released.
Whether or not his bail will push through, Ghosn is still facing serious financial charges, which includes aggravated breach of trust and falsely reporting his compensation from Nissan. The ex-chairman had allegedly received unreported compensation from the company for close to a decade. The total amount he had received is estimated to be somewhere around US$82 million. If the courts find him guilty of the charges, Ghosn could be facing up to 10 years in prison.
The former head of Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi have fully denied all charges against him. Ghosn's legal team, headed by lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters that they were willing to submit to all of the court's conditions. Previous bail applications were reportedly denied as judges were apparently worried that Ghosn might tamper with evidence if he was allowed to roam free.
Ghosn's legal team in Japan have argued in court that the allegations against their client is an internal company matter and shouldn't have been brought to court in the first place. Meanwhile, his legal team in France has launched a complaint with the United Nations claiming that Japan has violated their client's rights during his detention.
