Lawyer Greg Kelly, 62, joined Nissan North America in 1988. Photo: NISSAN
TOKYO – Nissan Executive Greg Kelly, who was arrested along with ex-president Carlos Ghosn, defended Ghosn's compensation, saying that it was discussed with other officials and paid out appropriately, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Saturday.
In his first reported comments since his arrest on Monday, Kelly was also quoted by NHK for saying that he had worked for Nissan's well-being rather than merely following Ghosn's instructions.
Japanese prosecutors say that Ghosn and Kelly, the first American on the Nissan sign, conspired to underestimate Ghosn's payroll by about half of the 10 billion yen ($ 88 million) he received from Nissan in five years deserved. , multiple violations.
"The former chairman's compensation was discussed with those in the relevant department and carried out appropriately: I followed not only the old president's orders, but worked for the well-being of the company," Kelly said, according to the report.
The board of Nissan voted unanimously on Thursday to remove Ghosn and Kelly from their positions. Both were arrested after a Nissan investigation had exposed evidence of serious misconduct, including underreporting of fees and personal use of company assets.