The wife of Greg Kelly, the jailed former representative director of Nissan Motor Co., said there¡¯s a chance he¡¯ll be released Christmas Day. She also revealed that several U.S. government officials have supported efforts to arrange for his return to Tennessee.
Kelly, who was arrested along with then-Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn on Nov. 19, may be able 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 CEO Hiroto Saikawa of leading a ¡°power grab¡± and wrongfully accusing Ghosn and Kelly.
Dee Kelly thanked Bill Hagerty, the U.S. ambassador to Japan; Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker; the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the State Department for their help, without elaborating. The handling of Ghosn and 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. 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.¡±
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