Japan Authorities Indict Carlos Ghosn For Fourth Time

Ever time Ghosn opens his mouth to express that he was framed, the Japanese authorities indict him for something else

Lawyers for former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn are asking a Japanese court to release the executive on bail after prosecutors levied yet another criminal charge against him as the Japanese automaker moved to reject deeper integration with its partner Renault.

Japanese authorities indicted Ghosn Monday on a charge of aggravated breach of trust. This is the fourth allegation against Ghosn since he was arrested in November 2018 at a Tokyo airport.

The new indictment charges Ghosn with diverting two separate payments of $5 million from Nissan through a dealership in Oman controlled by a friend of Ghosn. One of those $5 million payments was then transferred to an account to which Ghosn had access, the indictment alleges.

“Carlos Ghosn is innocent of the latest charges brought against him by the Tokyo prosecutors, aided and abetted by certain Nissan conspirators," a spokesman for Ghosn said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Nikkei reported that Nissan directors will reject a management integration proposal from Renault. Instead, Nissan will ask for an equal capital relationship with its French alliance partner. Reuters reported that a Nissan spokesman declined to comment and that a Renault spokesman was not available for comment.

Nissan management has acted as if it is not being treated as an equal partner and that a complete merger would solidify what it perceives as Renault’s dominant position.

That dispute is at the heart of the legal fight between Nissan and its former CEO and chairman.