Junichiro Hironaka, a lawyer famous for winning rare acquittals in Japan, has been tapped to defend Nissan’s former chairman Carlos Ghosn as he battles charges of false financial reporting and breach of trust.
The move, confirmed last week by Ghosn and Hironaka’s office, underscores Ghosn’s determination to prove his innocence. The odds are against him: In Japanese courts, 99 percent of cases get guilty verdicts.
Ghosn thanked his former legal team “for their tireless and diligent work and courage during the interrogation phase” but said he wanted to hire a different lawyer for the trial.
“As we begin the trial phase, I have decided to engage Hironaka-sensei as my legal counsel,” Ghosn said in a statement, referring to Hironaka with the honorific for “teacher,” often used in Japan for lawyers.
Ghosn has been held at a detention center since his arrest Nov. 19. Motonari Ohtsuru, the lawyer who had initially headed his defense, resigned Wednesday.
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