Society

Ghosn defends himself in video

Apr 10 (NHK) - The ousted Chairman of Nissan says what's happening around him is a conspiracy. Carlos Ghosn's lawyers released a video of him addressing the public for the first time. It was filmed before his latest arrest last week.

As he has in the past, he repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and didn't get into details of the charges.

Ghosn said in the roughly eight-minute video, "I'm innocent of all the charges that have been brought against me. And I'm also innocent of all the accusations that came around these charges that are all biased, taken out of context, twisted in a way to paint a personage of greed, and a personage of dictatorship."

He defends his management and says the allegations against him are a result of conspiracy and backstabbing.

Ghosn says that stemmed from fear that Nissan's autonomy would be threatened by its alliance with French carmaker Renault.

Ghosn also said, "We're talking about people who really played dirty game into what's happening. But hopefully the truth will happen and the facts will happen. "

Ghosn's lawyers say, with his consent, they edited out his mention of specific names.

He also accuses the executives of poorly managing the company and not having a vision for the future.

Ghosn stresses his love for the company and Japan and finishes by saying his biggest hope is to have a fair trial so he can be "vindicated."

Ghosn's lawyer Junichiro Hironaka criticized authorities for arresting his client for a fourth time. Last year he was detained and spent more than 100 days in jail before being granted bail.

Hironaka said, "If someone is released on bail and re-arrested, his mental and physical state suffers tremendously. The re-arrest was aimed at putting illegitimate pressure on Mr. Ghosn to crush him."

Hironaka said Ghosn's release on bail meant there was no concern of him fleeing or destroying evidence.

He said his team will appeal to Japan's Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Ghosn has been indicted for misappropriating corporate funds and underreporting his compensation. His latest arrest could lead to further charges.

Source: Kyodo

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