Prosecutors file fourth formal indictment for allegedly siphoning company funds for personal use
Carlos Ghosn earlier this month. He will remain in custody pending another bail attempt.
Photograph: Mizuki Ikari/AP
Japanese prosecutors have charged the former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn with aggravated breach of trust, a Tokyo court said, bringing a fourth charge against him on the day his detention period was set to expire.
The charge, on Monday, ensures that Ghosn will remain in custody pending another bail attempt by his lawyers.
It comes after authorities arrested him this month for a fourth time on suspicion that he enriched himself by a total of $5m (£3.85m) at Nissan’s expense.
Ghosn, who was released on $9m bail last month after spending 108 days in jail, has denied all allegations against him. His defence team has launched a public battle against the prosecutors, calling the latest arrest “illegal” in documents seen by Reuters.
Earlier on Monday, Nissan said it had filed a criminal complaint after determining that payments made by the carmaker to an overseas vehicle sales company through a subsidiary had been directed by Ghosn for his personal enrichment.
A spokesman for the company said it believed it had been harmed by Ghosn’s misconduct. “Such misconduct is completely unacceptable, and Nissan is requesting appropriately strict penalties.”
The three other charges Ghosn faces are related to allegedly understating his income and allegedly transferring personal investment losses to Nissan.