Family and friends of Carlos Ghosn speak out against the treatment that the former leader of the Alliance is experiencing. He still has not had the opportunity to speak publicly more than a month after his arrest.

In the New York Times, Caroline and Maya, two of his daughters, denounce Hiroto Saikawa’s behaviour and describe their feelings at the time of their father’s arrest and since then.

In Japan, Nobuo Gohara, a Japanese lawyer, explains in his blog that there is no reason for Carlos Ghosn’s arrest. He explains for example that, in Japan, it is particularly difficult to justify an arrest and charges on account of fake documents, and that there is no obligation in law to justify future earnings.

Regarding the latest charge, notified on 10 December 2018, Yuji Hosono, a former partner at KPMG Japan, explains that there is no loss for Nissan in relation to the so-called “suspicious” transfers because of which the Company believes that Carlos Ghosn harmed it. According to him, without harm, there is no legal basis for this new charge.

In Lebanon, the public demonstrates its support for Carlos Ghosn by setting up posters in the streets of Beirut that read “We are all Ghosn”. They condemn publicly the treatment of one of their fellow citizens, as Carlos Ghosn holds three nationalities: Brazilian, French and Lebanese.

In France, Philippe Riès, former director of AFP in Tokyo and co-author with Carlos Ghosn of a book in 2003, criticises the Japanese system in which “the ridiculous powers that Japanese prosecutors hold are the stuff of a totalitarian system rather than of an advanced democracy”. The journalist condemns Saikawa for wanting to “re-Japanise” Nissan with the help of sources sold to his cause.

Despite this support, on 31 December 2018, Carlos Ghosn’s stay in police custody is extended by 10 days, for the fourth times and until 11 January 2019. The new year starts much like the previous one ended for Carlos Ghosn: in prison.

“The circumstances of Carlos Ghosn’s detention and the fact that his lawyers are prevented from attending questioning have caused surprise and outrage abroad”.

les Echos – 31 December 2018

That was the final straw for Human Rights Watch, the international NGO that campaigns for human rights. Its executive director, Kenneth Roth, tweets to condemn a criminal justice system that is highly coercive and confession-oriented.