Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, center, leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo Wednesday. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP, File)
TOKYO – Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested Thursday morning for a fourth time by Tokyo prosecutors investigating him for alleged financial misconduct while leading the Japanese automaker.
Tokyo prosecutors said they will issue a statement soon but declined immediate comment. Japanese TV footage showed officials entering Ghosn's apartment in Tokyo, and a car later going to the prosecutors' office, barely a month after Ghosn was released on bail from the earlier arrests.
Ghosn's spokesman said the star auto executive had been arrested and issued a statement in which Ghosn strongly declared his innocence. The spokesman would not be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
"My arrest this morning is outrageous and arbitrary," Ghosn said in the statement. "It is part of another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try to break me? I will not be broken. I am innocent of the groundless charges and accusations against me."
Ghosn, 65, was first arrested in November on charges of under-reporting his compensation. He was rearrested twice in December, including on breach of trust charges. The multiple arrests prolong detentions without trial and are an oft-criticized prosecution tactic in Japan's criminal justice system.
The latest charge appears to be related to the investigation by Nissan Motor Co.'s French alliance partner Renault about payments in Oman to a major dealership, some of which is suspected of having been channeled for Ghosn's personal use.
Japanese media reported that 500 million yen ($4.5 million) of Nissan money spent for its Oman dealership business was suspected of having gone to Ghosn.
Ghosn has denied the accusations in the earlier charges. On the allegation of under-reported compensation at Nissan, he has said it involved payments that were never decided or that were to be paid in the future. He has also said Nissan never suffered losses for his personal investments and that allegedly dubious payments in Saudi Arabia were for legitimate services.
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He had tweeted he would hold a news conference April 11, where he would tell "the truth" on what was unfolding. A condition for his release on bail included not using the internet, but it is unclear if the authorities are considering the tweet a technical violation.
"I am confident that if tried fairly, I will be vindicated," he said in the statement Thursday.
Ghosn was a star in the auto industry, having steered Nissan for two decades from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the largest groups in the industry, allied with Renault and smaller Japanese partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
His release on bail after nearly four months at the Tokyo Detention Center was unusually quick for Japan, where long detentions without convictions are routine. Such detentions have been criticized as "hostage justice" intended to get confessions.
Ghosn's lawyer Junichiro Hironaka told reporters a rearrest during release on bail was unusual. He called the latest move an unfair effort to put Ghosn through more suffering.
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Nissan declined comment on the criminal proceedings. The company is a co-defendant on the under-reporting of compensation charges. Hironaka said this week that at least two Nissan employees are cooperating with the prosecutors.
Nissan declined comment on that possibility. The maker of the March subcompact, Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models is holding a shareholders' meeting next week to oust Ghosn from the board.
"Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," said company spokesman Nicholas Maxfield.
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