Demanding a two-year prison sentence against former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, Japanese prosecutors closed the case against him and his former boss Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday, after a year-long trial, according to The Economic Times.
Also recently, the Nissan Motor Co. agreed to settle a class action suit that, like the trial in Tokyo, centered on an alleged conspiracy involving Ghosn's pay. The agreement, cited in court documents, shows Nissan acting on behalf of itself, Kelly and Ghosn in settling the case in which investors claimed to have been misled regarding a compensation plan, according to The Irish Times.
“That unpaid compensation existed is clear,” prosecutor Yukio Kawasaki said in Tokyo District Court, according to ABCNews.
Japanese prosecutors previously accused Kelly of conspiring to pay Ghosn, his former boss, extra money. The three judges of the case are expected to pronounce a verdict next year, according to The Economic Times.
Kelly was the first American to be appointed to Nissan's board and has claimed innocence throughout the proceedings.
"The entire case against Greg Kelly and Carlos Ghosn is a sham," Jamie Wareham, Kelly's attorney from the United States, said.
Kelly was arrested in late 2018 after returning to Japan for a meeting. Ghosn was arrested at a similar time but fled the country to Lebanon in 2019 and has not stood trial.
Ghosn faces additional charges including misdirecting money from Nissan for his own benefit, according to The Irish Times. Among the disputed items was use of a corporate jet that Ghosn said was needed for work, ABCNews reported.
Ghosn claims that Nissan engineered his arrest in an effort to prevent the French company Renault, which already owns 43% of Nissan, from taking over more of the company. During Kelly's trial, other Nissan officials presented similar sentiments.
Nissan allegedly did not comment on the class action suit.
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