Exclusive Interview With Ex - Nissan Exec Greg Kelly
A court in Tokyo will begin the trial of former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly next week. He's accused of being involved in the underreporting of income of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Ahead of the trial, Kelly gave an exclusive interview to NHK. He's now out on bail.
In the interview, Kelly said he did not violate any of the disclosure regulations of Japan.
The Tokyo District Court is due to hold his first hearing next Tuesday. Ghosn, however, will not be present. He jumped bail and fled to Lebanon.
Kelly said Ghosn "made a decision that he thought was best for him and his family, and he's got to live with that decision." But he added that he wished his former boss was going to be in court to testify.
Kelly is accused of conspiring with Ghosn to underreport in Nissan's securities reports the former chairman's compensation by more than 9.1 billion yen, or about 86 million dollars.
The alleged breach of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act took place over eight years through fiscal 2017.
Prosecutors are expected to argue that Ghosn's compensation was to be deferred until after his retirement to avoid public disclosure of his massive pay package.
They are likely to claim that Kelly, who was Ghosn's close aide, was deeply involved in the scheme.
