Ghosn case should have been handled internally, new lawyer says
Carlos Ghosn’s new lawyer launched an attack on Nissan and the Japanese legal system today as he dismissed the charges against the former car executive.
Junichiro Hironaka, nicknamed the Razor, said the allegations should have been dealt with as an internal company matter and criticised Japanese judges for holding Ghosn behind bars, saying the move was against international norms.
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“This should have been dealt with as an internal matter,” Hironaka told reporters, according to Reuters.
The comments marked a new, more aggressive approach by Ghosn’s legal team following the resignation of his former lawyer Motonari Otsuru last week.
“I look forward to defending myself vigorously, and this represents the beginning of the process of not only establishing my innocence but also shedding light on the circumstances that led to my unjust detention,” Ghosn said in a statement last week.
Hironaka said he did not know why Ghosn had chosen him, but pointed to his vast experience as a criminal lawyer.
The Razor is well-known in Japan for winning high-profile cases such as the acquittal of a senior government official on financial misconduct charges in 2012.
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Ghosn has been held in Tokyo since his shock arrest on 19 November on charges of underreporting his salary and transferring personal losses to Nissan.
“He is innocent of all the charges,” Hironaka said.