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Tokyo District Court revokes Ghosn's bail

Jan 01, 2020 (NHK) - Sources say the Tokyo District Court has decided to revoke the bail of former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Tokyo prosecutors had requested the revocation after Ghosn released a statement saying he is now in Lebanon.

Ghosn said in the statement issued by his press representative in New York that he "will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant and basic human rights are denied."

The court allowed Ghosn to be released on bail in April 2019, but imposed conditions, including a ban on travel overseas.

The bond of 1.5 billion yen, or about 13.8 million dollars, will be confiscated. If Ghosn returns to Japan, he would be held in a detention center.

Sources say the Immigration Services Agency of Japan has no record of Ghosn leaving the country.

The chief lawyer of his defense team, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters on Tuesday that they have all of Ghosn's passports and would not have given them back to him.

His trial was set to open as early as April. But it will not begin unless he returns to Japan.

Ghosn has been indicted on charges of understating his compensation in Nissan's securities reports. He is also accused of aggravated breach of trust over the suspected misappropriation of company funds.

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