Nissan sues Ghosn aide Kelly for $11.8 million

1 Japanese automaker Nissan is suing Greg Kelly, a former executive and aide to disgraced tycoon Carlos Ghosn, seeking $11.8 million in damages to the company, according to reports published Friday.

2 The 65-year-old American was found guilty of financial misconduct this month in Tokyo, but only for his actions in fiscal 2017.

3 He was given a six-month suspended sentence and was acquitted of the previous six years.

4 Prosecutors had asked for two years in prison for Kelly, accusing him of helping former Nissan chairman Ghosn declare income of less than 9.1 billion yen ($76.4 million) between 2010 and 2018.

5 Kyodo News said Nissan filed a lawsuit seeking compensation of 1.4 billion yen in the Yokohama District Court, where its headquarters are located.

6 Nissan could not immediately confirm the reports when contacted by AFP.

7 The Nikkei business daily said the lawsuit was filed on January 19.

8 It comes days after prosecutors said they would challenge the court’s ruling, which Kelly’s lawyers also appealed.

9 Nissan had pleaded guilty in a separate case and was ordered by the Tokyo court to pay a 200 million yen fine.

10 Kelly was arrested at the same time as Ghosn in November 2018, but the former Nissan boss skipped bail and fled to Lebanon the following year, leaving Kelly alone to face charges in Japan.

11 Source Credit: TheGuardian