TOKYO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo District Court on Friday extended the detention of former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn to April 22 to allow prosecutors to further investigate allegations of his financial misconduct.
Ghosn was arrested for a fourth time on April 4 on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust connected to the misuse of Nissan funds causing a 5-million-U.S. dollar loss to the automaker.
He was supposed to be held until Sunday, prior to the court extending his detention.
Ghosn's legal team on Friday appealed the Tokyo court's decision to extend his detention, with his lawyer Junichiro Hironaka previous likening the judicial system in Japan, which allows for the lengthy detention of suspects, to "hostage justice."
The Brazilian-born businessman who also has French and Lebanese nationality, was first arrested on Nov. 19 on charges of under-reporting his remuneration for years in Nissan's securities reports, and went on to spent 108 days in detention.
He has also been indicted on another charge of aggravated breach of trust connected to allegations he transferred private investment losses to Nissan.
On Thursday, Ghosn's wife Carole was questioned by prosecutors in the Tokyo court, in connection to the latest allegations of the misuse of Nissan's funds, which may have been sent to a company she owns and used for personal reasons.
Her company, based in the British Virgin Islands, a known tax haven, is thought to have possibly received the funds which were used in part to purchase a luxury yacht worth 1.6 billion yen (14 million U.S. dollars) for use by the Ghosn family.
Ghosn served as the automaker's chief executive officer following Nissan's capital alliance made with Renault and as Nissan president from 2000 and its chief executive officer from 2001 to 2017.
Nissan Motor Co. shareholders on Monday removed Ghosn from its board, severing a near two-decade relationship with the once-feted auto executive who is widely credit for rescuing Nissan from near-bankruptcy in 1999.
He was also dismissed as chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and replaced as chairman of Renault SA after he tendered his resignation while in detention in Tokyo.
Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., who comprise the Ghost-created alliance with Nissan, have said that Ghosn will step down as a director in June.
In a video message released Tuesday by his lawyers, Ghosn maintained his innocence and claimed that he had been the victim of a conspiracy at Nissan involving other executives.
