Carole Ghosn, the wife of former Nissan and Renault boss Carlos Ghosn, stated during an interview that she is stressing if her husband, arrested in Japan on alleged financial misbehavior, will get a fair trial, and expressed outrage over a justice system that re-arrested him on fresh allegations.
“This has been a nightmare. We’re devastated, our lives turned upside down. And we see no end in sight. For him to be rearrested, and he is on bail, that’s something I have never heard of. I’m shocked,” said Carole Ghosn in a telephone interview from New York.
Carlos Ghosn, who headed Nissan Motor for two decades, rescuing it from the brink of bankruptcy, was arrested in November and released on bail last month but was arrested again on April 4 over suspicion of aggravated breach of trust.
“We are concerned about a fair trial,” she stated. “They now know what we were preparing a defense, what evidence we have.”
Carlos Ghosn has been charged with fabricating financial documents in underreporting his retirement compensation and with breach of trust in dubious payments. Ghosn maintains that he is innocent, noting the compensation was never decided and saying the payments were legitimate.
Ghosn’s detention has been authorized through April 22, but that can be extended further. Prosecutors state the recent breach of trust allegations are new, and there is a possibility that the evidence may be destroyed.
Carole Ghosn stated she go back to Japan once her husband is released on bail.
She said the situation of her husband’s detention is harsh, using a term that refers to long detentions without convictions in Japan, “hostage justice.”
Like others who go through detention in Japan, Ghosn is in solitary confinement, and is probed by prosecutors all day. He gets fresh air a half hour each day but is not permitted outdoors over the weekend.
Carole Ghosn stated she was worried about his health as he has been weakened by the long detention and is not receiving enough sunlight.
She has been questioned as well in a Japanese court. She refused to provide details but said there was little substance to the questioning. She is not a suspect but has accepted to answer the questions voluntarily.
She stressed that her husband is ready to deal with the allegations, and said she was proud of him.
“When you’re put in a situation that is so unfair, it eats you up and you want to fight every moment that you can as he knows how unjust it is, and he knows he’s been stabbed in the back,” she stated.
“Anyone who is put in an unfair situation, you want to fight for your rights. You want to fight for your innocence. You want to fight to clear your name.”
