Ghosn to be indicted on fresh charge

Tokyo prosecutors will indict former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on a new charge on Monday when his detention period over suspected financial misconduct expires, local media reported Friday.

The 65-year-old is being questioned in a Tokyo detention centre over allegations he syphoned off millions of dollars from his former company Nissan to a dealership in the Middle East for his own ends.

Ghosn strenuously denies the allegations and insists they have been cooked up in a “plot” by Nissan executives wary of plans to bring the Japanese car giant closer to its French partner Renault.

On Friday, public broadcaster NHK cited unnamed sources as saying that Tokyo prosecutors will indict the former auto tycoon as early as Monday on suspicion that he had used the money from Nissan for his personal investments into 30 companies.

Kyodo News said the prosecutors decided to indict Ghosn on April 22.

NHK reported that about 3 billion yen ($26.8 million) transferred to an American firm named Shogun Investments, run by Ghosn’s son, had been spent on investments in at least 30 companies.

Tokyo prosecutors are also considering questioning Ghosn’s son, according to NHK.

Ghosn had already spent 108 days in custody over three other charges of alleged financial malpractice — accused of two counts of deferring part of his salary and concealing this from shareholders and another charge of seeking to shift personal losses to the company.

He has already won bail once over the first three charges.