Wife of Nissan's arrested director says he may be released by Christmas Day

Several US government officials have supported efforts to arrange for his return to Tennessee from Japan

Journalists outside Tokyo Detention Centre, where former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn and former executive Greg Kelly are detained. Mr Kelly wife says he could be released by Christmas . AP Photo

The wife of Greg Kelly, the jailed Nissan Motor board director, said there is a chance he’ll be released Christmas Day. She also revealed that several US government officials have supported efforts to arrange for his return to Tennessee.

Mr Kelly, who was arrested along with Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn on November 19, may be able to communicate with his family soon, Dee Kelly said in a video released through a lawyer Sunday. The men have been in a Tokyo jail since their arrest on allegations that they filed false financial reports that understated the chairman’s compensation.

“Since we issued a statement a few days ago, we’ve been overwhelmed by the words of support from people in the United States and around the world,” Dee Kelly said in the video. In an earlier statement released Wednesday, she accused Nissan chief executive Hiroto Saikawa of leading a “power grab” and wrongfully accusing Mr Ghosn and Mr Kelly.

_______________

Read more:

_______________

Dee Kelly thanked Bill Hagerty, the US ambassador to Japan; Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker; the US embassy in Tokyo and the State Department for their help, without elaborating. The handling of Mr Ghosn and Mr Kelly’s cases has cast scrutiny on Japan’s justice system, which allows prosecutors to hold those suspected of crimes for weeks without charges.

The Kellys live in Brentwood, Tennessee, and Nissan’s North American headquarters is in neighboring Franklin.

Dee Kelly said that her husband, who was raised by parents who were both lawyers, is “a man of honor and integrity” who “holds himself to the highest ethical standards.” She reiterated that he had done nothing wrong and said he’d been “caught up in an international plot by some at Nissan to take control.”