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Tokyo, Jan 9 (IANS) Tokyo prosecutors on Thursday dismissed former Nissan chairperson Carlos Ghosn's claims that he was subjected to eight hours of interrogation while in detention in Japan, and added he was allowed to meet his lawyers.
Ghosn, during one of his first press conferences since his November 2018 detention in Tokyo, said on Wednesday in Lebanon capital Beirut that he underwent long interrogations.
Takahiro Saito, deputy chief of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, responded to some of the allegations made by Ghosn in a media appearance, Efe news reported.
After his arrest, Ghosn -- who is accused of financial irregularities -- was in detention for 130 days and released on bail April 25 after being detained a second time.
Saito said Ghosn was interrogated for more than 70 days in average sessions held daily for little under four hours.
He added that during those 130 days of detention, Ghosn was allowed to meet his lawyers and did so 120 times.
He could not meet with them on Sundays as the Tokyo detention centre was closed to visitors.
In his media appearance, Ghosn criticised the Japanese legal system, said that he was forced to confess and claimed he was interrogated daily by prosecutors for more than eight hours and in absence of his lawyers.
According to Ghosn, the interrogations to which he was subjected and the restrictions on meeting his wife Carole sought to force him into confessing to crimes of which he stands accused, however, the prosecutors denied the claims.
The prosecution added it was obvious he was not forced to confess and said that they had video and audio recording of his interrogations.
In Japan, Ghosn had restrictions on his movements and a ban on leaving the country.
The former Nissan boss said he was subjected to "relentless, shameless, baseless media attacks orchestrated by Japanese prosecutors and Nissan executives".
Ghosn is accused in Japan of alleged financial misconduct.
The Lebanese public prosecutor's office has received an Interpol red notice requesting authorities to preventively arrest Ghosn while he awaits extradition (or a similar procedure, seeing as Japan doesn't have an extradition treaty with Lebanon).
--IANS
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