Ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn rearrested in Tokyo: media
Tokyo: Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn was rearrested early Thursday in Tokyo while out on bail, local media said, as prosecutors investigate a fresh charge against the auto tycoon.
Authorities arrested the 65-year-old less than a month after he was dramatically freed on bail following more than 100 days in detention.
Public broadcaster NHK and other media said prosecutors had entered Ghosn's temporary accommodation in central Tokyo early Thursday morning and that he left with them by car shortly afterwards.
An AFP reporter outside the home saw three men in dark suits guarding the entrance to the building's car park and a police officer patrolling, as dozens of journalists gathered.
Reports emerged Wednesday that prosecutors were weighing rearresting Ghosn as they investigate claims related to at least USD 32 million in Nissan funds transferred to a distributor in Oman.
According to a source familiar with the matter, some of this money is believed to have been used to buy a luxury boat for Ghosn and his family.
The former high-flying executive already faces three charges of financial misconduct related to allegations he under-reported his compensation and sought to transfer losses to Nissan's books.
He has denied any wrongdoing and took to Twitter for the first time Wednesday, using a newly created account that his spokespeople confirmed was authentic, to announce plans for a press conference.
"I'm getting ready to tell the truth about what's happening. Press conference on Thursday, April 11," said the tweet, sent in English and then Japanese.
Ghosn currently faces two separate charges of deferring his salary to the tune of nine billion yen (USD81 million) and not revealing this in official documents to shareholders.
The Brazil-born auto sector pioneer also faces a charge of seeking to shift personal investment losses onto Nissan's books and then using company funds to pay a Saudi associate who stumped up collateral for him.
The case of Ghosn, widely credited with saving Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy, has been a rollercoaster ride of unexpected twists and turns from the moment he was first arrested at a Tokyo airport out of the blue on November 19.
He has since been re-arrested on multiple occasions over a series of allegations, employed a little-used article of Japanese law to force a day in court and emerged on bail dressed in a workman's uniform and cap in a bizarre attempt to avoid the media.
Since his release on bail on March 6, he has kept scrupulously quiet despite daily attempts by local and international media to interview him.
His lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, known as the "razor" for his mental sharpness, has done the talking for him, appearing twice in front of the foreign media to plead his client's innocence.
In his latest appearance on Tuesday, Hironaka announced he had filed a petition with the Tokyo District Court so that Ghosn's case would be heard separately from that of Nissan and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly.
Nissan has been indicted alongside Ghosn, as they filed the shareholders' documents that allegedly mis-stated the then chairman's income.
Hironaka said this would not be a fair trial as Nissan has effectively sided with the prosecutors by providing them with documents they say show further malpractice.
Under Ghosn's management, Nissan recovered and formed a three-way alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors that has become one of the world's top-selling auto groups.
In an interview with AFP from his detention centre in January, Ghosn denounced a "trap" and a "plot" by Nissan prompted by opposition to his plans to bring the companies closer together.
He was removed as chairman by Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors almost immediately after his arrest. Renault was slower to react but Ghosn eventually himself resigned from the head of the French firm.
Ghosn's arrest and a string of alleged financial misconduct has sparked questions over Nissan's own corporate governance and the company established an independent body to propose changes to prevent a recurrence.
The advisory group suggested doing away with the vacant role of chairman and laid the blame for the lapse in governance at the feet of Ghosn.
The main cause of the misconduct was "the concentration of authority in Ghosn," the group concluded.
"He created a situation in which it would be difficult to detect his pursuit of personal gain."
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Four doctors in Kerala booked for birth of newborn with genetic disorders
Alappuzha, (Kerala) (PTI): Four doctors in Kerala have been booked for allegedly failing to detect genetic disorders in a newborn while it was still in the mother's womb, the police said on Thursday.
The accused include two female doctors attached to the Kadappuram Government Women and Child Hospital in Alappuzha, along with two doctors from private diagnostic labs, according to the Alappuzha South police.
The police registered an FIR on Tuesday based on a complaint lodged by Anish and Surumi, a couple from Alappuzha.
They alleged that the doctors failed to detect or disclose the genetic abnormalities during prenatal scans, instead assuring them that the reports were normal.
The couple also claimed that they were shown the baby only four days after delivery, according to the complaint.
The FIR stated that Surumi, 35, was undergoing treatment for her third pregnancy at Kadappuram Women and Child Hospital.
On October 30, Surumi was admitted for delivery. However, she was referred to Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Vandanam, Alappuzha, citing the absence of fetal movement and heartbeat, the FIR said.
On November 8, the baby was delivered following surgery at MCH and was found to have severe internal and external deformities, the FIR stated.
Meanwhile, one of the accused doctors, responding to the allegations, said she had treated Surumi only during the initial months of her pregnancy.
"I provided care for three months at the beginning of her pregnancy. The reports shown to me indicated issues with the fetus's growth," she said.
The doctors associated with the diagnostic labs, however, maintained that there were no errors in the scan reports.
The police registered a case invoking Sections 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 125 (b) (where grievous hurt is caused, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or with both) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused.
