Ghosn requests separate trial from Nissan as inquiries heat up
Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn will not get a fair trial unless he is tried separately from the car manufacturer, his lawyer has said.
“No matter how you look at it, having Ghosn sit alongside Nissan at the trial would be peculiar, it would go against his right to a fair trial,” Junichiro Hironaka told reporters, according to Reuters.
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Earlier today lawyers for the car executive had requested that Ghosn stands trial separately from Nissan, which is cooperating with prosecutors.
They also said Ghosn did not want to be tried alongside former Nissan director Greg Kelly, who also faces charges of financial misconduct.
The request comes as the finances of the car firms under Ghosn's control come under increasing scrutiny from investigators. Yesterday it emerged a probe into Renault and Nissan is focusing on the use of four private jets.
Details of the probe were handed over to Renault directors this week, Reuters reported, as the firms were reportedly thought to use one only private plane.
Separately, Renault has alerted French prosecutors to payments made to a business partner of the companies based in Oman, Reuters reported, citing sources.
The French car manufacturer, which is carrying out an internal investigation, has uncovered evidence it paid millions of euros in so-called dealer incentives to Omani distributor Suhail Bahwan Automobiles over five years.
Read more: Nissan and Mitsubishi executives step down in wake of Ghosn scandal
But the probe has shown a large part of the funds were then transferred to a Lebanese firm controlled by Ghosn associates, according to the sources.
Lawyers for Ghosn denied allegations of potential embezzlement, but said they had not discussed the matter with the former chairman.