TOKYO: The defense team of former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn reiterated its claim of his innocence Tuesday, the first anniversary of his arrest in Japan for alleged financial misconduct.

In a statement, the team expressed its readiness to "adamantly refute charges" against Ghosn, 65.

Ghosn's determination is "unshakable," and he is "looking forward to the opportunity to prove his innocence and reunite with his family," the defense said.

Ghosn was kept in detention for over 120 days in total after his initial arrest a year ago. Three weeks after his fourth and last arrest, he was released April 25 this year on bail conditions including a ban on getting contact with his wife.

The prolonged detention and the bail conditions "violated his right to face a fair trial," the defense said, criticizing prosecutors for taking a stance opposite to the principle of presumed innocence.

"Their inappropriate and illegal investigation caused unrecoverable damage to Nissan, to which Ghosn devoted himself for two decades, and significantly lowered its stock value," the defense argued.

On Tuesday morning, Ghosn showed up at the office of defense team member Junichiro Hironaka, but he did not respond to questions from reporters there.

On Nov. 19, 2018, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested the then Nissan boss upon his arrival at Tokyo International Airport for allegedly underreporting his executive pay in Nissan securities filings.

Ghosn was also served new arrest warrants on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust.

The first court hearing in his trial is expected to start as early as next spring.

JIJI Press