Ghosn's lawyers seek separate trial from Nissan

Apr 03, 2019 | News On Japan

Apr 03, 2019 (NHK) - A defense lawyer for Carlos Ghosn says his legal team has asked a Tokyo court to separate the former Nissan Motor chairman's trial from the carmaker's.

Ghosn is accused of understating his income on Nissan's securities reports. The company itself has also been indicted for making false financial disclosures.

Lawyer Junichiro Hironaka spoke to the media at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The Tokyo District Court has been talking with prosecutors and Ghosn's legal team about how to proceed with his trial. The court plans to hold the first hearing in September.

Hironaka asserted that because senior Nissan officials have reached a plea-bargaining deal, the company is more like a prosecutor than a defendant.

He said it would be unfair to Ghosn if Nissan were to act as a prosecutor standing before the same judge.

Hironaka also said he expects Ghosn to hold a news conference this month. He said his legal team is now working out what the former chairman should discuss.

Hironaka said prosecutors have not asked to question Ghosn since his release on bail last month.

He said his team can't say whether they would accept such a request before knowing what it's about.

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