Carlos Ghosn case hearing to begin in April 2020

Tokyo, Sep 21 (IANS) The first hearing in the trial of former Nissan and Renault chief Carlos Ghosn will be held in April 2020, a year and a half after his first detention in the Japanese capital, media reported on Saturday.

Ghosn, 65, is accused of allegedly under-reporting to the authorities a series of salary compensations he agreed with Nissan since 2009 and also of aggravated breach of trust for a series of allegedly irregular payments, reports Efe news.

He was arrested on November 19, 2018, and was later released on bail pending trial.

Ghosn faces two legal proceedings for two different periods for payments agreed for eight years until 2018.

He is also accused of diverting Nissan funds for personal matters for which he faces alleged aggravated abuse of company trust.

According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, Ghosn is expected to appear in dozens of court hearings next year, up to three times a week. Previously, preliminary hearings were held in March to define legal proceedings in the case.

The former Renault President, one of the architects of the alliance between that French group and Nissan Motor forged a decade ago, has denied all charges and attributes the accusations to the automaker's internal quarrels.

Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, spent 108 days in provisional detention until a judge issued his bail in early March.

But he was arrested again on April 4, when the prosecution presented new charges, and was released again on bail on April 25.