TOKYO, Jan 29 — Tokyo prosecutors today raided the office of a key Japanese lawyer who defended former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn before he skipped bail and fled Japan, local media said.

Junichiro Hironaka had previously refused to comply with prosecutors who obtained a warrant to seize a computer used by Ghosn.

The former auto tycoon’s bail conditions restricted his internet use to a terminal at his lawyer’s office.

Hironaka was still serving as Ghosn’s lawyer when prosecutors raided his office the first time, but he has since resigned.

Hironaka and the Tokyo district public prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the reported search, and it was not clear if the raid involved the seizure of the computer Ghosn used.

Ghosn smuggled himself out of Japan late December to Lebanon in an elaborate escape, humiliating Japanese officials and his defence lawyers.

Ghosn, who was originally arrested in Tokyo in November 2018, faced multiple financial misconduct charges, which he denies. — AFP