It’s been a rough few months for disgraced Nissan top honcho Carlos Ghosn. The once-celebrated executive has been sitting in a Japanese jail cell since reports of financial irregularities came to light. Now, the former Nissan chairman has gotten his chance to speak publicly about the accusations.
The Japan Times reports that Ghosn maintained his innocence today at his first court appearance, saying he has been “wrongly accused and unfairly detained.” Ghosn, who was once such a celebrated star in Japan that a comic book was written about him, showed up in the courtroom in handcuffs with a rope tied around his waist. He went on to say that his actions were all sanctioned by the right people within the company.
“Contrary to the accusations made by the prosecutors, I never received any compensation from Nissan that was not disclosed, nor did I ever enter into any binding contract with Nissan to be paid a fixed amount that was not disclosed,” Ghosn claimed.
It remains to be seen whether Ghosn will be cleared of the charges or if he will continue to serve time in prison. Only time will tell, too, how this scandal affects Nissan and, to some degree, Mitsubishi and Renault as well. Stay tuned.
