Ousted Nissan chief to appear in court on January 8

Tokyo: Ousted Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn will appear at a court here on Tuesday for the first time since his arrest in November, the Tokyo public prosecutors' office said on Friday.

Ghosn, one of the most powerful figures of the automobile sector worldwide, has been in detention since November 19 in Tokyo on several charges, including allegedly underreporting his income. He has denied the allegations.

Ghosn's legal team had requested for his appearance before the judge to hear the reason for his continued detention, Efe news reported. The hearing will be held at the Tokyo District Court on January 8, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors had issued three arrest warrants against Ghosn, two of them charging him with not declaring his fixed income in Nissan correctly for many years and a third for an alleged breach of trust by transferring personal losses to the Japanese company.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that Ghosn, 64, intended to appear before the judge in the next hearing and will have the opportunity to state his opinion for the first time since his arrest.