That legacy has been hit hard in recent months. Mr. Ghosn was arrested in November by the Japanese authorities on suspicion of financial wrongdoing, and he spent more than three months in a Tokyo jail before his release on bail last month. He now faces criminal charges, filed by prosecutors who allege he underreported his compensation and improperly shifted personal investment losses onto the company’s books.
Nissan, meanwhile, has turned on its former savior. In a report issued last week, a Nissan-appointed panel said it found numerous corporate governance failings at the company. It blamed Mr. Ghosn for the shortcomings, saying he had accumulated too much authority and made it difficult for internal monitors to find wrongdoing.
Mr. Ghosn has said he is innocent and that his compensation and expenditures were approved by others at Nissan. He has blamed his ouster on Nissan executives who he says conspired to keep him from bringing the Japanese company closer together with Renault.
Mr. Ghosn gave two interviews while in jail, and his new team of lawyers held a news conference last month after they were appointed. But he has kept a low profile since his release on bail, when he wore what looked like a crossing guard’s uniform and a surgical mask as he left the facility. One of his lawyers later apologized for the disguise.
By contrast, Nissan executives have given interviews in which they criticized Mr. Ghosn, while headlines in Japan and elsewhere have focused on allegations of financial excesses under Mr. Ghosn’s management. In a statement, Mr. Ghosn has called the allegations “part of an unsubstantiated smear campaign.”