Interesting read. I'm not a lawyer so I don't know anything about the charges, but just on the face of it they have the feel of criminalizing something that used to be winked at due to the person involved no longer enjoying the support of those required to do the winking. I have a really hard time believing Saikawa didn't know what Nada and his crew were up to. The whole thing very much feels like a palace coup, and a somewhat remote and entitled European perhaps not understanding his Japanese colleagues as well as he thought he did. The pivotal moment might very well have been the dressing down he gave Saikawa over his criticism of the proposed new alliance structure, and in front of at least one other person. That's a grave thing in Japanese culture.<p>Anyway, I'm willing to bet in the end some deal is struck whereby both the accused leave Japan. I doubt they actually want them sitting in a Japanese cell for ten years.
> Suspects can be held without charge for as long as 23 days, and they have no right to a lawyer during questioning. Prosecutors also have the power to forbid family visits. When the 23-day period expires, a suspect can be rearrested for another offense, resetting the clock to zero. And once someone has been indicted, the outcome is all but predetermined, leaving defense attorneys to focus on coaching their clients to confess in the least damaging way.<p>The U.S. criminal justice system receives a lot of (arguably well-deserved) flak, but this seems almost borderline inhumane. Is "innocent until proven guilty" not important in Japan like it is in the U.S.?
Contrast this with billions of dollars of fraud that happened in Olympus in 2011 where the guilty parties did not go to prison and only received suspended sentences.<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_scandal" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_scandal</a>
I read the lengthy article expecting some strong accusations of fraud, but the "deffered compensation" accusation is BS, and the other one (of using firm's resources for personal gains) is what every CEO does when he takes the corporate jet to play golf.<p>My guess is they just wanted to do a coup against him, and tgegis was the easiest way in their eyes.
> Japanese companies generally provide homes for their senior executives, and for Ghosn, Nissan provided five—in Paris, Tokyo, and Amsterdam, but also in Beirut and Rio de Janeiro, where he had negligible business ties but extensive personal ones.<p>…<p>> Ghosn didn’t have enough in his personal accounts, so he arranged for Nissan to take on the contracts temporarily. Later he took them back, secured by a letter of credit from Khaled Juffali, a Saudi businessman whose family firm later received $14.7 million in payments from Nissan’s CEO Reserve, a source of money the company says Ghosn controlled with little oversight … Ghosn’s representatives maintain that the transaction was properly approved and that Juffali, who owns a car dealership chain, was paid for helping with regional distribution, not for getting Ghosn out of a jam.<p>…<p>> Nissan covered the cost of his Rio yacht club membership, and his sister was on the company payroll for more than a decade, performing ill-defined consulting duties in Brazil.<p>Looks fishy to me.
This article seems to underplay what a demi-God he was in the auto manufacturing business.<p>Nissan was my client for many years. Carlos Ghosn was treated like a God, not unlike Steve Jobs or Elon Musk in some circles.<p>Even if he gets released, it's a remarkable fall. His life of being worshiped wherever he goes is over - in or out of jail.
What happened to habeas corpus? Or a presumption of innocence? Clearly this is not a concept in the Far East. Sure, the guy made millions and wanted more. But he did well by his company and his employees. I feel like this case could have serious repercussions for Japanese business. This is a big red flashing warning sign to executives (locals and expats) there. You will get stabbed in the back.