Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn was released from jail on Wednesday after 108 days, ending his controversial imprisonment and setting the stage for Japan’s biggest legal clash in decades.
Ghosn was surrounded by uniformed security guards as he walked out of the Tokyo Detention Center early Wednesday morning, his face shielded by a mask, hat and glasses.
A Japanese court approved Ghosn’s release Tuesday night after posting a nearly $9 million bail , but it was delayed when prosecutors filed a last-minute appeal.
The Tokyo District Court imposed several restrictions on Ghosn, including where he can live, a ban on foreign travel, and vows not to tamper with evidence.
The former head of the Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors-Renault alliance had been in prison since his November 19 arrest on charges of falsifying financial statements for nearly a decade by under-reporting compensation by $82 million.
Ghosn reiterated in a statement he is “innocent” and said he was “grateful” for family and friends who supported him “throughout this terrible ordeal.”