Tokyo: One of the Japanese lawyers for Carlos Ghosn stepped down from the job after the ex-Nissan boss fled the country. Junichiro Hironaka had been representing Ghosn against various financial misconduct allegations. His move, announced on Thursday, was widely expected after Ghosn fled to Lebanon. Hironaka said in a statement that the entire team working on the case at his office will quit but did not outline reasons. He has said before he has felt some empathy for Ghosns reasons for escape while stressing he had hoped to win vindication in court.

Hironaka is respected for winning innocent verdicts in high-profile cases in Japan where the conviction rate is higher than 99 per cent. Among the cases, he handled is that of Atsuko Muraki, a welfare ministry official accused of falsely approving a group to qualify for mail discounts. She was acquitted in 2010.