Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn re-arrested in Japan
Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was arrested again today by Japanese prosecutors who accused him of trying to enrich himself at the carmaker’s expense.
The arrest, described by legal experts as highly unusual in Japan for someone who has been released on bail, is reportedly linked to payments made to an Omani dealer.
Prosecutors said Ghosn has caused Nissan $5m (£3.8m) in losses over the two- and-a-half years to July 2018, with the goal of personal gain.
Read more: Carlos Ghosn: 'I'm ready to tell the truth'
The losses involved moving money through a dealer in Oman to the account of a company Ghosn effectively controlled, the Kyodo news agency reported.
“My arrest this morning is outrageous and arbitrary,” Ghosn said in a statement.
“It is part of another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try to break me? I will not be broken. I am innocent of the groundless charges and accusations against me.”
The arrest comes the day after Ghosn tweeted to say he will “tell the truth” at a news conference next week ahead of his trial on charges of financial misconduct.
Ghosn was slated to address the media next week in his first news conference since being released on a $9m bail, and he said on Twitter: “I'm getting ready to tell you the truth about what's going on. I'm having a press conference on Thursday, April 11th.”
Read more: Ghosn lawyers request separate trial from Nissan
Ghosn is not allowed to use the internet under the terms of his bail, but it is possible someone may have tweeted for him from his @carlosghosn account, created this month.
The manufacturing titan was arrested in Tokyo last November and is accused of failing to report around $82m in pay and transferring personal losses onto Nissan’s books.
He is also charged with moving $14.7m in funds to a Saudi businessman.
Ghosn denies the charges, claiming he is merely the victim of a boardroom coup and calling the charges “meritless”.
His arrest and the charges against him have shaken the foundations of the Nissan-Renault alliance he helped forge.