Former Nissan Motor boss Carlos Ghosn has been granted bail for the second time since his arrest last year on financial misconduct charges, after posting $4.5 million bail on Thursday and accepted curbing on contacting his wife.
A Tokyo court lays out a new condition for bail that Ghosn cannot meet or otherwise communicate with his wife Carole without prior permission, according to his defense lawyer. Carole was questioned after Ghosn’s re-arrest previously this month on aggravated breach of trust charges.
Prosecutors have appealed the bail decision, but if it is turned down, the once-feted executive will be free to depart from the detention center where he has been in custody since April 4 to get ready for his criminal trial expected later this year.
Together with restricted access to his wife, Ghosn’s movements and communications will be strictly monitored and restricted to avoid his fleeing the country and tampering with evidence, the Tokyo District court stated.
Ghosn has been charged with enriching himself at a expense of $5 million to Nissan, temporarily shifting personal financial losses to his employer’s books and understating his wages during his time at the helm of the automaker.
Ghosn has rejected all charges against him.
The court stated in a statement that it had authorized a bail request from Ghosn’s defense team and set bail at 500 million yen ($4.5 million), approximately half his previous bail of 1 billion yen.
