Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn left his Tokyo detention centre Wednesday after more than 100 days in custody, following a shock court decision granting him bail of one billion yen .
Without acknowledging the banks of cameras snapping wildly, he drove off in a silver van -- a Suzuki -- complete with a workman's ladder strapped to the top. Throughout his more than three months in custody, Ghosn, 64, has loudly proclaimed his innocence, stressing in a recent statement he was"totally committed to vigorously defending" himself against"meritless and unsubstantiated accusations."
This lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, has an unusually strong record of securing acquittals in a country where almost every trial ends in a conviction. Kyodo news agency said Ghosn's cell phone use would be restricted and he would only be allowed to access a computer in his lawyer's office during weekday daytime hours.
Speaking to AFP and French daily Les Echos in January -- his only interview with foreign media since his arrest -- Ghosn said his continued detention"would not be normal in any other democracy".Under Japanese law, prosecutors can hold a suspect for up to 22 days while they investigate an allegation, and then can apply for repeated one-month stretches of pre-trial detention for each charge eventually levelled.