Ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn was granted bail Tuesday, as the nearly four-month legal battle that has embroiled one of the most charismatic executives in Japan and garnered a global attention took another dramatic turn.
Ghosn was set to be released as early as Tuesday on ¥1 billion bail, the court said. Prosecutors, however, were expected to appeal the decision.
The former high-flying executive’s legal team submitted a request for bail for the third time with a Tokyo court on Thursday. It was the first such request to be filed by his recently reshuffled legal team that includes high-profile lawyer Junichiro Hironaka.
The 64-year-old Brazilian-born French auto executive, accused of understating his income and aggravated breach of trust, was arrested on Nov. 19 and has been held at the Tokyo Detention House since. All previous requests for bail had been denied, with prosecutors filing fresh charges against him.
The court grants a release on bail if it determines a suspect is unlikely to destroy evidence or flee.