In their indictment of last September 29, the Tokyo prosecutors asked for a prison sentence of 2 years. They were not followed by the judges who pronounced a much lighter sentence.

Carlos Ghosn, who had already denounced, in two recent interviews with Le Parisien and Valeurs Actuelles, the injustices of the Japanese hostage justice system, recalled, on the occasion of this verdict, on Bloomberg TV, the blatant double standard and the inequity of treatment between foreigners and Japanese citizens.

Carlos Ghosn called the verdict a farce, saying that the Japanese justice system was simply trying to save their reputation through this conviction.

Prosecutors and lawyers for Greg Kelly, who has returned to the United States, are appealing the decision.