Carlos Ghosn Offers to Wear Ankle Tag in Return for Bail
Former Nissan and Mitsubishi chair Carlos Ghosn has offered to wear an ankle tag and post his Nissan stock as collateral if the Japanese authorities grant him bail.
Ghosn has been detained since November on charges relating to the understatement of his compensation. Since then, he has also been accused of transferring personal losses to Nissan and misusing company funds.
He denies all the charges but remains in a Tokyo prison ahead of a trial that will likely be at least a couple months away. A court rejected his bail request early last week on the grounds that he presented a flight risk.
On Monday, Ghosn offered to surrender his passports, wear an ankle bracelet, pay more bail and pay for security guards to watch him, in exchange for a pre-trial release from jail.
“As the Court considers my bail application, I want to emphasize that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted,” he said in a statement reported by CNBC.
Ghosn also promised not to contact witnesses in the case — something the court feared he would do when it turned down his previous bail request.
The Tokyo District Court is expected to make a decision about Ghosn’s latest bail request later on Monday.
Keeping Ghosn behind bars provides prosecutors with the opportunity to maintain pressure on him, as they question him ahead of his trial. Lengthy pre-trial detentions are not uncommon in Japan.
