A court sketch, drawn by Nobutoshi Katsuyama, shows ousted Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn during a January open hearing to hear the reason for his continued detention, at Tokyo District Court in Tokyo, Japan.

Speaking from his Tokyo prison, the former Chairman of Renault-Nissan Carlos Ghosn told Japanese media that "plot and treason" by Nissan management led to his arrest.

In his first interview since being jailed, Ghosn told the Nikkei Asian Review on Wednesday that his plan to further integrate the automakers Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi had triggered his downfall.

Ghosn said closer integration had been discussed with Nissan President Hiroto Saikawa in September but Saikawa had excluded Mitsubishi's CEO from the talks.

The tycoon reportedly said he had "no doubt" the legal charges against him were a result of "plot and treason" by Nissan management who opposed the strategy.

According to Ghosn, people who wanted to remove him from his role had also created a false image that his reign was a dictatorship.

"People translated strong leadership to dictator, to distort reality," Ghosn said.