Former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly denied helping ousted boss Carlos Ghosn hide earnings, saying at his trial in Tokyo on Wednesday that his only goal had been to retain a chief executive who could have been lured away by a rival automaker.
Ghosn escaped to Lebanon in December 2019 hidden in carry-on luggage on a private jet that flew out of Kansai Airport, while he awaited trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, including understating his compensation in financial statements.
Kelly and Ghosn, who also denies the charges, have both said they are victims of a boardroom coup by former colleagues worried the latter would push through a merger between Nissan and Renault SA, its largest shareholder.