Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has appeared in a Japanese court for a hearing prior to his trial on accusations of financial misconduct, Japan Today reports.
No trial date has been set for Ghosn yet, but this was the first in a series of hearings aimed to ironing out logistics for the trial. Some say the trial may not begin until 2020.
Ghosn is currently out on bail and is unable to contact his wife. The businessman’s executives challenged this restriction in court but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal. Prosecutors say that the restriction is in place to prevent Ghosn from tampering with evidence.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shin Kukimoto recently told media outlets that the maximum penalty Ghosn is facing is 15 years in prison and a 150 million yen ($1.4 million) fine if he is convicted on all 15 counts.
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Ghosn has long protested his innocence since he was arrested in November and charged with underreporting his income and breach of trust. He was released on bail in early March but re-arrested for a fourth time just one month later, shortly after stating that he would reveal the truth about what was going on. Lawyers for Ghosn claimed that he was re-arrested illegally and he was eventually released on bail for the second time at the cost of $4.5 million.
A video which re-surfaced a couple of weeks ago showing a lavish party organized by Ghosn at the palace of Versailles. Lawyers for the former executive claim that the party was held as a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Renault Nissan Alliance.