Interest in the case is high, and Japanese news outlets have run numerous stories about Ghosn’s alleged wrongdoing. Critics have called the stories one-sided, however, reflecting just the prosecutors’ point of view.

“Your honor, I am innocent of the accusations against me,” Ghosn said Tuesday, looking visibly thinner. “I am wrongfully accused.” He spoke in English through an interpreter.

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The court hearing was held in response to a request by Ghosn’s attorneys demanding the reasons for his prolonged detention. The judge cited a risk of flight and a possibility of tampering with or destroying evidence.

In a statement released Tuesday, Ghosn maintained that he had “always acted honorably and legally” and with the knowledge and approval of the appropriate executives in the company.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was a kind of economic superstar in Japan for turning around a troubled Nissan and building an alliance with French automaker Renault that has endured for 19 years.

He had been pushing for closer ties between the two companies, but the move was not universally supported at Nissan.

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Ghosn, a Brazilian-born French citizen of Lebanese descent, faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $89,000.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Ghosn’s attorneys defended him while strongly criticizing prosecutors’ approach to the arrest.

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“Having previously been a prosecutor myself, I think it is certain that the prosecutors are not trying to be partial” to Nissan, said Motonari Otsuru, Ghosn’s chief defense attorney. Even so, “I wish [the prosecutors] would have proceeded with their investigation more cautiously.”

Prosecutors have extended Ghosn’s detention by making new allegations, which have not yet yielded formal charges.

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Otsuru went through the alleged incidents of misconduct by Ghosn and asserted that his behavior was in line with company policies.

The attorney disputed the latest allegation against Ghosn — that he committed a breach of trust in the wake of the 2008 collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment bank by transferring his personal losses to the automaker in a swap transaction related to his compensation. Otsuru said the minutes of a Nissan board meeting confirmed otherwise.

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The swap was permissible under an agreement among Nissan, Ghosn and the bank, Otsuru said.

Similarly, regarding the charge that Ghosn “unnecessarily” paid $14.7 million to a Saudi company managed by an acquaintance, Otsuru said the defense team’s investigation showed the payment to be “an appropriate consideration” for work the company had done.

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For its part, the Saudi company, controlled by Khaled Juffali, said in a statement Tuesday that payments over four years from Nissan “were for legitimate business purposes in order to support and promote Nissan’s business strategy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”