Ex-Nissan boss Ghosn to ask for monitored visit with spouse - lawyer

By Tim Kelly

TOKYO (Reuters) - Lawyers for Carlos Ghosn will ask a Japanese court to allow the former Nissan Motor boss one monitored visit with his wife after the Supreme Court upheld curbs on contact with his spouse while he is on bail, his legal team said on Thursday.

The top court on Monday rejected Ghosn's appeal of restrictions on meeting or communicating with his wife Carole, part of his $4.5 million bail as he awaits trial on financial misconduct charges.

Ghosn's lawyers have argued that the bail condition violates Japan's constitution and international law on family separations. They now plan to ask a court to approve one monitored visit with his wife.

"We will submit an application this week," defence lawyer Takashi Takano told Reuters.

If the court agrees, Carole Ghosn would travel from France to meet her husband for a one hour meeting in the presence of his lawyers, Takano said.

Under the bail agreement that allowed Ghosn to walk out of jail on April 25, he cannot meet or otherwise communicate with his wife without prior permission. He has not received such permission, Takano said.

Ghosn's movements are also monitored and he is only allowed to access the internet from a computer at his lawyer's office. A record of that activity has to be submitted to the court.

Ghosn has said he is the victim of a boardroom coup, accusing "backstabbing" former colleagues of conspiring to oust him as Nissan chairman.

He has been indicted four times, twice on charges that he failed to disclose a portion of his earnings to authorities, and twice for aggravated breach of trust.

The latter included an allegation that he received $5 million in payments from an Nissan dealership in Oman after authorising incentive payments to it from Nissan.

Ghosn has denied all charges against him. He is expected to go on trial next year, Takano said.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; editing by Darren Schuettler)