Japanese prosecutors said Thursday, November 29, they will detain former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn for as long as is needed to finish their investigation into suspicions of financial irregularities, as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance reaffirmed its partnership.
Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor for the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office, defended its handling of Ghosn, who was arrested on November 19 along with another Nissan executive, Greg Kelly.
“We are not detaining (Ghosn) for an unnecessarily long time,” Kukimoto told reporters. “We only take necessary steps as needed.”
Kukimoto refused to confirm reports that both Ghosn and Kelly have denied the allegations against them. Ghosn is suspected of violating financial laws by underreporting millions of dollars in income and Kelly is suspected of collaborating in that. Nissan has also announced an internal probe triggered by a whistleblower found Ghosn allegedly misused company assets.
