Nissan seeks leniency over Ghosn charges

A lawyer for Nissan has asked a court for leniency when it sentences the company over charges it allowed Carlos Ghosn, its former chairman, to hide earnings from Japanese authorities.

The carmaker has pleaded guilty to the offences but in closing statements to a Tokyo court, the lawyer said the company had already seen its reputation damaged by the legal case and it had not benefited from Ghosn’s alleged actions.

Nissan is standing trial alongside former executive Greg Kelly, who has denied charges he helped his former boss hide ¥9.3 billion ($113.7 million) of Ghosn’s earnings over eight years through deferred payments.

Prosecutors are seeking a ¥200m ($2.4m) fine for the marque and a two-year jail sentence for Kelly, reports Reuters.

Nissan’s lawyer added the company already faced fines from Japan’s financial regulators and had strengthened its corporate governance.

A ruling in the case is expected in 2022.

Ghosn, who escaped house arrest in Japan at the end of 2019 hidden in luggage on a private jet, also denies any wrongdoing.

He faces separate breach of trust and financial misconduct charges but remains a fugitive in Lebanon.

Ghosn and Kelly maintain they are victims of a boardroom coup by former colleagues worried that Ghosn would push through a merger between Nissan and Renault, its largest shareholder.