Paris (AFP)
The children of Carlos Ghosn, the former Renault-Nissan boss arrested a year ago to day in Japan, denounced Tuesday a "cruel" and "unfair" legal system, demanding a "fair" trial for their father .
The former all-powerful boss of the Renault-Nissan alliance was arrested on 19 November 2018 while landing in Tokyo. Released on bail after 130 days of detention and placed under house arrest, he is facing four charges in that country.
"If we express ourselves on this sad anniversary, it is to draw attention to a cruel and unfair Japanese legal system", which "treats harder than its citizens those who do not have Japanese nationality", have written his four children, Anthony, Maya, Nadine and Caroline Ghosn in a forum published on the site of the public radio franceinfo.
Having grown up in Japan, they say they discover the "dark side" of this country which, according to them, submits their father "to abominable treatments".
"The Japanese authorities detained him by keeping him in total isolation for 129 days," while "Japanese prosecutors interrogated him, day and night, without stopping, for hours."
The children of Carlos Ghosn plead the innocence of their father, victim in their eyes of an "economic war".
The documents sent by the former boss to the Court "indicate in particular that prosecutors, Nissan officials and officials of the Japanese government fabricated this criminal procedure in order to oust our father from his post , for fear that the alliance between Nissan and Renault threatens Nissan's independence, "they say.
"Each of us tries to understand how a country as developed as Japan can let human rights - which should benefit our father - be flouted in this way," they regretted, calling for a "fair" trial.
"If this trial sees the day, we pray that it will be fair so that our father has a chance to prove his innocence and regain his freedom," add the children of Carlos Ghosn, asking the Japanese authorities "to put a term to the ban that prevents him from getting in touch with his wife "Carole.
Released on bail after 130 days in detention, Carlos Ghosn is charged with four charges: two for non-reporting to the stock market authorities of deferred remuneration, and two others for aggravated breach of trust. He incurs up to 15 years in prison. Assigned to residency in Tokyo pending his trial, he denies everything in block.
© 2019 AFP