Former Nissan boss says arrest is part of a conspiracy

The former Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance boss, Carlos Ghosn, has released a seven-minute video claiming his innocence after he was first arrested in November 2018 for allegedly under-reporting his salary.

In the video, which was recorded before the 65-year-old was re-arrested for a fourth time on further charges of alleged financial misconduct in Japan, Ghosn says he is "innocent" of the charges brought against him.

Once the most powerful man in the automotive industry, presiding over the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance that regularly tussles with Toyota and the Volkswagen Group for the title of the world's biggest automotive corporation, Ghosn now claims his arrest and impending trial in Japan are part of a conspiracy.

"This is a conspiracy. This is not about specific events, this is not about – again – greed, this is not about dictatorship. This about a plot, about conspiracy, about backstabbing. That's what we're talking about."

The YouTube video features Japanese subtitles and comments had been disabled.

Ghosn explains that he knows the identity of those are plotting against him but rather than naming them, which could have implications at the trial, he simply stated that it was a handful of executives who "for their own interest and for their own selfish fears" are harming the company.

The former Nissan CEO's legal team have consistently criticised prosecutors' decision to detain Ghosn (who has spent more than three months in jail) because he is no flight risk.

In his public video, which at the time of writing had more than 55,000 views, Ghosn adds that he "loves" Nissan and Japan and argues his 20 years of hard yakka in the country must count for something.

"Nobody spends 20 years in a country, nobody works 20 years in the leadership of a company without love and without attachment and without engagement."

"I came to japan in 1999 because I was fascinated by the country and fascinated by the challenge of reviving Nissan."

"My love for Japan and my love for Nissan is untainted today, after all the ordeal I've been through."

Ghosn is credited with saving Nissan from bankruptcy almost 20 years ago but along with charges of undeclared salary, the French-Lebanese executive has also been accused of allegedly concealing around $US80 million in consultancy fees over an eight year period.

One of the men accusing Ghosn of breaking the law, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa, signed off on the consultancy fees.

French media has reported that Ghosn was unimpressed with Saikawa's handling of parts of the Nissan business and had planned to depose Saikawa in a board meeting scheduled a couple of days after Ghosn's first arrest on November 19, 2018.

The trial of Ghosn could be explosive for several reasons, because the Nissan Corporation itself has been charged by Japanese prosecutors for allegedly filing false securities documentation.

Another Nissan exec and Ghosn's former right-hand man, Greg Kelly, has been charged with offences similar to his former boss as well.

If convicted of financial misconduct, Ghosn and Kelly could face up to 10 years in jail, while Nissan could be hit with slap-on-the-wrist fines of up to $US6 million.

Ghosn adds that the Nissan brand has "degraded a lot" in recent years and highlights "three profit warnings in a couple of years, many scandals," as some of the issues it must overcome.

At the end of the video the automotive exec says he hopes for a fair trial.