Nissan ex-chair Ghosn released

TOKYO -- Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn walked out of a Japanese detention center Thursday evening, his head held high, after paying $4.5 million in bail and winning a court rejection of an appeal from prosecutors.

Ghosn walked solemnly out of the Tokyo Detention House with one of his lawyers by his side. They got into a dark van without speaking and drove off, watched by dozens of journalists who had been waiting for his release for hours.

Prosecutors had fought to keep him in custody, contending he could tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. But the Tokyo District Court decided in the evening he should be released.

In a new twist, the court also decided to restrict Ghosn's contact with his wife, Carole Ghosn, targeting her as someone related to the latest allegations, according to his legal team.

In a statement issued shortly after his release, Ghosn said the new bail conditions were "cruel and unnecessary."

Ghosn was arrested in November, released on bail in early March, but re-arrested and detained again April 4 on new allegations.

The latest bail comes on top of the $9 million Ghosn posted for his earlier release.

He has been charged with under-reporting his post-retirement compensation and breach of trust in diverting Nissan money and allegedly having it shoulder his personal investment losses.

Ghosn's lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, said the bail conditions require advance notice of contacts between Ghosn and Carole Ghosn. They will not be able to live together, and a lawyer must be present when they meet.

Carole Ghosn is not a suspect, and she had been looking forward to being with her husband. She is mentioned in the latest allegations centering around payments by an Oman business to operations allegedly run by Ghosn, which reportedly have some links to his wife's business. She was called in for questioning earlier this month.