Tokyo court rejects Nissan ex-chairman Ghosn’s bail appeal

A Tokyo court has rejected another appeal by lawyers of Nissan’s former chairman Carlos Ghosn to have him released on bail.

The lawyers had appealed against a rejection by Tokyo District Court two days earlier of their request that Ghosn be granted bail.

He has been held at a Tokyo detention centre since his arrest on November 19.

Ghosn has been charged with two alleged crimes – falsifying financial reports by allegedly under-reporting his income over the past eight years, and breach of trust for allegedly causing Nissan to shoulder his personal investment losses and make payments to a Saudi businessman who helped out.

The 64-year-old has led Nissan for two decades.

He asserted his innocence in court last week, his first public appearance since the arrest.

France’s economy minister has asked Nissan’s alliance partner Renault to choose a successor to Ghosn.

So far it has only named an acting chairman.

Nissan dismissed him as chairman days after his arrest.

Suspects and defendants in Japan can be detained for months before trial, and legal experts say bail requests for those who deny their allegations are less likely to be granted than for those who confess.

Japanese prosecutors have a more than 99% conviction rate in criminal cases and suspects are generally not presumed innocent until proven guilty.