TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn, the former car executive charged with financial wrongdoing, was awaiting release from a Tokyo jail on Thursday after posting a multimillion-dollar bond for a second time in two months.
A district court judge ruled that the former head of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance could leave the detention center, and Mr. Ghosn’s lawyer quickly paid a 500 million yen, or $4.68 million, bond. But the prosecutor’s office, which has repeatedly fought his release, said it would appeal. Mr. Ghosn, who has denied any wrongdoing, remains in detention.
The conditions of Mr. Ghosn’s release are largely the same as before: he must live in his Tokyo apartment, cannot travel abroad, and is not allowed to have contact with people related to the investigation.
Mr. Ghosn’s lawyers requested bail on Monday after Japanese prosecutors charged him with using a series of corporations linked to Nissan to transfer $5 million to a company he controlled. Japanese news reports said that company, which is registered in Lebanon, sent money to two other companies controlled by his wife, Carole Ghosn, and son, Anthony.
Neither Mrs. Ghosn nor Anthony Ghosn have been charged with any wrongdoing. However, Mrs. Ghosn appeared in a Tokyo court in mid-April to answer questions about her husband’s case.
Mr. Ghosn was arrested in November on suspicion of underreporting his income to regulatory authorities in Japan. During his more than 100 days of detention, he was charged with three counts of financial wrongdoing. He was released in March after posting a $9 million bond and agreeing to have his Tokyo apartment monitored with security cameras. But he was rearrested in an early morning raid on April 4, with agents taking evidence including Mrs. Ghosn’s phones and passport. He now faces four separate indictments, including two charges of aggravated breach of trust.
Mr. Ghosn’s case has triggered debate about Japan’s justice system, where defendants routinely are questioned by prosecutors with no legal counsel.
