Carlos Ghosn's lawyers demand dismissal of charges, allege collusion

Lawyers of Carlos Ghosn have formally asked a Tokyo court to dismiss all charges against former chairman of Nissan Motor Co Limited, saying that prosecutors were "in cahoots" with government officials and Nissan executives to remove him from his post. Japan's courts are yet to decide on a schedule for his prosecution with reports claiming that the first trial is likely to start in March. Ghosn's team of 13 lawyers includes four lawyers in Japan who will defend him in the upcoming trials

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'Ghosn innocent'

In a press release by Ghosn's legal team, the lawyers said that they had submitted two court filings in wake of a scheduled pre-trial meeting the same day which lists cases of "misconduct" by prosecutors, "factual defences" which show that Ghosn is innocent of financial wrongdoing. 

Lawyers in the release said that the prosecution against Ghosn is a result of unlawful collusion between prosecutors, government officials at METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), and executives at Nissan who formed a secret task force to drum up allegations of wrongdoings.

In wake of his arrest in November last year, Ghosn has been charged four times on allegations he that underreported his Nissan salary, temporarily transferred personal financial losses to Nissan's accounts and allowed payments to car deals with a purpose of enriching him. 

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The current legal status of Ghosn

Ghosn is reportedly on bail in Japan and is not allowed to communicate with his wife or use the internet without supervision. He also has had to submit CCTV footage of his movements. Courts in Japan have dismissed countless appeals by Ghosn to ease the conditions of his bail which his lawyers say violates Japanese constitution and international law on family separation. 

Earlier this year, Ghosn and Nissan had agreed to settle claims from US Securities and Exchange Commission over misleading disclosures related to Ghosn's compensation. Nissan had agreed to pay $15 million then while Ghosan settled on a $1 million civil penalty and a 10-year ban on serving as an officer or director of a publicly-traded US company. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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