Junichiro Hironaka, one of Carlos Ghosn’s main Japanese lawyers, in Tokyo on December 31, 2019. – Koji Ito / AP / SIPA
The most publicized Japanese lawyer in Carlos Ghosn, Junichiro Hironaka, announced Thursday the withdrawal of his entire cabinet from the entire Ghosn file, a consequence of the illegal flight at Lebanon from the former boss of Renault-Nissan.
“Today we have given the Tokyo court a letter of resignation from all of Hironaka’s lawyers for all of the cases concerning Carlos Ghosn,” the defender said in a brief statement. “There will be no press conference on this,” he added. He said he was “stunned” by the escape of Carlos Ghosn in late December.
The move came as no surprise, as Junichiro Hironaka, 74, said he would retire after his client escaped. But it was theoretically possible that other lawyers in his firm would take over the thick Carlos Ghosn case. Two other Japanese law firms, Hiroshi Kawatsu’s and Takashi Takano’s, have also worked for a year with Junichiro Hironaka to defend Carlos Ghosn, who has been charged with four charges in Japan. A source close to Takashi Takano told AFP that he and his team are also throwing in the towel on the matter, while Hiroshi Kawatsu’s office said it had no information to give to the media at the moment.
Reputation as master of acquittal
However, in interviews he gave to various media from Lebanon, Carlos Ghosn said that he still had great need of his Japanese defenders. However, the latter were embarrassed by the escape of their client, whose prohibition on leaving Japan was a condition of his bail, for which his lawyers had vouched for.
Junichiro Hironaka, who had built a reputation as an acquittal in Japan, refused last week to let prosecutors enter his offices to seize computer equipment used by Carlos Ghosn, investigators suspecting he had prepared his escape by making use of the computer made available to him in these places.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo court approved the separation of the Ghosn case on Thursday, according to Japanese media. Carlos Ghosn was to be tried at the same time as his former right-hand man Greg Kelly and Nissan in the part of the case concerning the reductions in remuneration. Carlos Ghosn being absent, only the other two will be tried, because Japanese criminal law does not provide for a trial in absentia in this case.
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