Mar 03 (Nikkei) - Former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly was found guilty on Thursday in a Tokyo court for his alleged part in helping Carlos Ghosn, his former boss at Nissan Motor, hide earnings.
This was the first ruling concerning financial misconduct allegations that shook the Japanese automaker in 2018. The Tokyo District Court judge sentenced Kelly to six months in prison, suspended for three years.
The sentence means Kelly will serve no prison time if he does not engage in any illegal activity during the next three years. With the ruling, he is expected to leave for the U.S.
The American lawyer, formerly Nissan's representative director, was arrested in 2018 along with Ghosn -- then chairman of the automaker -- on suspicion of underreporting pay.
The judge fined Nissan Motor 200 million yen ($1.7 million) for violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Ghosn, who has been charged with violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and aggravated breach of trust, was absent from the proceedings.
The judge found that "unpaid remuneration" existed for former Chairman Ghosn, that it escaped disclosure and thus false statements were made. The judge also ruled that Kelly was guilty of conspiring with Ghosn and the former chairman's head secretary at the time. The secretary agreed to a plea bargain.
The guilty ruling is only in regard to the indictment for the fiscal year ended March 2018. As for indictments that cover the fiscal years that began in April 2010 through March 2017, the court ruled Kelly was not guilty of conspiring with Ghosn or others. ...continue reading
Source: ANNnewsCH
