TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn's lawyers on Thursday filed an appeal with a Tokyo court after it rejected their client's request for bail to be granted earlier this week.
Following his arrest on Nov. 19 on allegations he under-reported his remuneration during the five years through March 2015 to regulators, in violation of Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, Ghosn has been detained for almost two months.
The likelihood is that the automotive heavyweight will remain in detention until the investigations are concluded and he is called to court for sentencing -- a process his lawyer has said could be a lengthy one.
Ghosn, widely recognized as the brains and brawn behind Nissan's rapid turnaround since 1999, has rigorously maintained he has in no way violated financial regulatory laws on reporting his earnings, and has insisted that Nissan incurred no losses from his private investment dealings that have led to allegations of breach of trust.
The 64-year-old detainee appeared in public at a hearing for the first time on Jan. 8 and was granted permission to voice his opinions in court for the first time since his arrest on the allegations he vastly under-reported his remuneration and other charges.
Ghosn and his defense counsel believed that his detention has been unjustified as he has, according to them, not inflicted any losses on Nissan.
The once-revered chief, credited with Nissan's meteoric turnaround, has resolutely underscored his complete innocence along with him pushing the perception of his contribution to Nissan's revival, stating the results of the endeavors by himself and his colleagues were self-evident.
Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese citizenship and has been kept at the Tokyo Detention House, told the court at the time that he had "been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations."
However, the presiding judge at his hearing said Ghosn's ongoing detention was in part due to concerns he might try to destroy key evidence and he was also a flight risk as investigations are still ongoing.
Motonari Otsuru, Ghosn's chief lawyer, has said that Ghosn could theoretically be detained for a minimum of another six months, citing the complexities of the case.
Bail is unlikely to be granted as Ghosn has unequivocally denied all allegations against him, Otsuru also said.
The case, which has rocked both the global automotive as well as the business world in general, has brought into focus Japan's judiciary system and critics have pointed out that suspects can effectively be detained by prosecutors indefinitely, as fresh indictments are made, in pursuit of a confession, without necessarily being granted access to lawyers or allowed visits from family members.
Otsuru said his client, who has asked to be allowed to return to France until he is required to appear in a Japanese court, will likely be detained here until the start of his trial.
