Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, will soon face trial in a Tokyo court, after he was arrested in connection with the financial scandal of his ex-boss Carlos Ghosn. After Ghosn fled to Lebanon, both cases had been in limbo.
The trial of Kelly, an American, and Nissan Motor Co., a defendant in the same trial as a company, will start Sept. 15, Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said on Thursday.
Prosecutors had \”a solid case\” to back allegations Kelly was involved in Ghosn\’s alleged under-reporting of future compensation, he said.
The allegations have been publicly denounced as groundless by Ghosn and Nissan officials have been accused of a conspiracy to overthrow him. He is living in Lebanon, which does not have an expulsion treaty with Japan.
Kelly made an appearance in a pre-trial session on Thursday. He also said he is innocent. Such sessions are closed in Japan, and other details were not revealed.
How Kelly and Nissan\’s combined trial will progress is uncertain. While Kelly is affirming innocence, Nissan has admitted guilt, seeking to distance itself from Ghosn and Kelly.
In November 2018, Kelly, a lawyer, was arrested at the same time when Ghosn was. He has lived in Japan since he was released on bail about a month later.
Japan is seeking the expulsion of two Americans separately, Michael Taylor and Peter Taylor. They are wanted on charges of smuggling Ghosn out of Japan in a large box.
A Massachusetts jail is holding them without bail.
Ghosn wired more than $860,000 to a company linked to Peter Taylor in October 2019 is what US court documents display, and this year, Ghosn\’s son also made cryptocurrency payments which come to about $500,000 in total.
This week US District Judge Indira Talwani will rule soon on the extradition request is what she said.
Based in the port city of Yokohama, Japan, Nissan is expecting its second straight yearly red ink for the financial year through March 2021, its brand smeared by the scandal. Its global sales has crushed during the virus outbreak.
Kelly and Nissan\’s trial will likely last about a year because of the large amount of evidence involved, as per Japanese media reports, which includes the testimony of previous Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa. Ghosn has been replaced by Saikawa, but due to financial misconduct allegations of his own, Saikawa resigned last year. He has not been charged
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