INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image:Ex-Nissan boss leaves Tokyo jail in mask and orange bracesFormer Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has left prison in Japan on bail, more than
$8.9m).Mr Ghosn has been charged with financial misconduct and aggravated breach of trust, but denies wrongdoing.The 64-year-old left the
detention centre surrounded by guards, wearing a cap and white medical face mask
He was also wearing overalls and orange, reflective braces, making him barely recognisable by comparison with the smart-suit, shirt-and-tie
attire he sported when running a global carmaking empire with 470,000 employees, selling 10.6 million vehicles in 2017 from 122
factories.Strict bail conditions for Mr Ghosn, including video surveillance and restricted use of his mobile phone, were set for his release
His computer access is restricted to his lawyer's office during weekday daytime hours.As the architect of the alliance between Nissan and
French carmaker Renault, he brought Mitsubishi on board in 2016
He then ran the alliance of the three global carmakers as both chief executive and chairman.He has said his arrest was the result of a "plot
and treason" against him - a bid by some Nissan executives wanting to stop his plan to integrate Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi
His previous requests for bail were rejected and his lengthy detention has drawn international criticism.His imminent release from the
detention centre, where he has been held since his arrest on 19 November, was signalled by the arrival of a car from the Embassy of
France."Carlos Ghosn is being released
He will be able to defend himself with greater ease
So much, the better," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Europe 1 radio."But my responsibility as finance and economy minister is
to make sure that hundreds of thousands of jobs at Renault and at the Renault-Nissan alliance are protected," he added.Image copyrightGetty
ImagesImage caption
Press members set up for Mr Ghosn's exit from prison
Mr Ghosn was released after
Japanese courts had rejected two previous requests for bail, saying the Brazilian-born executive posed a flight risk and could conceal
evidence.The latest bail request was filed by a new legal team
The case has attracted global attention and drawn criticism of Japan's criminal justice system, which allows for lengthy detention periods
It is the first time the businessman, previously hailed a hero in Japan for turning around the ailing Nissan, has been photographed in
public since mid-November
He had looked visibly thinner when he appeared in court in January for the first time since his arrest.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage
caption
Courtroom sketch from his appearance in January
His status was such that his life was serialised
In a 2011 poll of people the Japanese would like to run their country, Mr Ghosn came seventh, ahead of Barack Obama, who was placed
ninth.Born in Porto Velho, Brazil, to Lebanese parents, he was once tipped as a potential president of Lebanon, a move he eventually
dismissed because he already had "too many jobs".The allegations against him have received widespread media coverage in Japan and also
forced changes at the carmakers
Renault, for instance, has altered its governance structure to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive.
