A Tokyo court gave prosecutors an extension as they investigate allegations of financial misconduct by Mr. Ghosn, the head of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
PARIS — A Tokyo court approved a 10-day extension of jail time for Carlos Ghosn, the head of the Renault-Nissan alliance, on Friday as prosecutors assess allegations of financial misconduct. An ocean away, the corporate titan’s problems were on show at the Group of 20 summit meeting: President Emmanuel Macron of France, where Renault is based, planned a side discussion with Japan’s prime minister on the alliance.
Mr. Ghosn, a charismatic leader in the auto industry, is being investigated after a whistle-blower within Nissan, the Japanese automaker, alleged he vastly understated his compensation on securities filings. He has been in detention since Nov. 19, when he was arrested on his private jet soon after landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Mr. Ghosn, who forged the alliance as a groundbreaking industry model for sharing technology and cost savings, has yet to be charged. But the Nissan board voted unanimously to fire him as chairman last week. Mitsubishi Motors, a Japanese automaker that joined the alliance in 2016, removed him as its chairman on Monday.
Greg Kelly, Mr. Ghosn’s former chief of staff and a Nissan board member, who was arrested at the same time, will also be detained for 10 more days. A former head of human resources and an American, Mr. Kelly has been described by the company as a “mastermind” of the alleged financial wrongdoing. Both men were in Tokyo for a board meeting.
Under Japanese law, prosecutors can detain suspects for up to 22 days without filing charges, and can legally question them without a lawyer present.
The extended detentions give the Japanese authorities more time to interrogate the men, search Nissan’s offices for evidence and determine whether to press charges. Prosecutors have said they suspect Mr. Ghosn earned around 10 billion yen, or about $88 million, at Nissan from 2011 to 2015 but reported only half of it. The other half was to be parceled out as deferred compensation after Mr. Ghosn, 64, retired.
