Greg Kelly, Former Nissan Executive in Ghosn Case, Returns to U.S. After Three Years in Japan

The Tokyo District Court gave Mr. Kelly a suspended sentence, which opened the door for his return to the U.S. Mr. Ghosn escaped to Lebanon in December 2019.

Photos of Mr. Kelly and his wife, Dee, were posted on the

Twitter

account of

Rahm Emanuel,

the U.S. ambassador to Japan. “Usually saying goodbye is bittersweet, but this time it comes with joy. Best of luck on the journey home and next chapter,” Mr. Emanuel tweeted. The normally stoic Mr. Kelly was smiling broadly alongside the ambassador and holding up his U.S. passport. A representative of Mr. Kelly said he was arriving in the U.S. on Monday.

Mr. Kelly, who was living in Tennessee, flew to Japan on Nov. 19, 2018, at the request of a Nissan executive who told Mr. Kelly he was needed to attend business meetings. Mr. Kelly said later that he agreed because he was assured he could quickly return home.

The executive was actually working with Japanese prosecutors, according to testimony at Mr. Kelly’s trial. Authorities pulled over Mr. Kelly’s car after his arrival in Tokyo and sent him to jail, where he stayed for more than a month before his release on bail.

He lived for three years in a Tokyo apartment, preparing for and attending his trial. Upon his return to the U.S., he has said he plans to see his family including a grandchild who was born after his arrest and whom he has never met.

Write to Sean McLain at [email protected]