Carlos Ghosn will learn his fate on Monday as a Tokyo court rules on his bail request after he vowed to remain in Japan if released and offered to provide more collateral.
The ousted Nissan boss has pleaded for bail after languishing in custody for 64 days as he fights charges of financial misconduct that he strenuously denies.
In a statement released earlier on Monday, he sought to change the court’s previous judgement that he represents a flight risk and might attempt to tamper with evidence.
“As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted,” Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives.
He vowed to attend any subsequent trial “not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself”.
“I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom,” concluded the statement.
The court has already rejected previous attempts at securing his freedom on bail and even his own lead lawyer has indicated it could be six months before he is released for a trial.
A spokeswoman for Ghosn, Devon Spurgeon, said his family had already rented an apartment in Tokyo where he promised to reside while awaiting trial.
He has also promised to hand over his passports, refrain from contacting people connected with the case and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors to monitor his movements, according to Spurgeon.
She added that Ghosn has also offered a higher bail fee by stumping up Nissan stock as collateral and promised to wear an electronic tracking bracelet paid for by himself.
However, an official at the Japanese justice ministry told AFP: “There is no system in Japan in which a person accused in a criminal case can be released with such a tracking bracelet.” “The court sets the bail sum and can also add appropriate conditions such as limitations on where the accused should stay,” added the official.
The case of Ghosn, a once-revered auto kingpin credited with turning around struggling Nissan, has gripped Japan and the business world since his arrest out of the blue on November 19 as his private jet at a Tokyo airport.
Since then, he has been seen in public only once, in a dramatic court appearance where the much thinner executive pleaded his innocence in a packed courtroom. His wife Carole has appealed to Human Rights Watch, claiming he is being held in “harsh” conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations intended to extract a confession.