Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, has denied the charges and says he is the victim of a boardroom coup at Nissan Motor. While he has been released on bail, he remains restricted from contacting his wife.

Carole called on leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron to hold Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accountable for what she has repeatedly called the country's "hostage justice system".

"My husband's basic human rights have been violated. And all of this came about because a few people at Nissan were working to prevent a merger between Nissan and Renault which resulted in a corporate coup," she said in a statement on Saturday.

Her comments come a day after Ghosn abruptly canceled what would have been his first press conference since his arrest in Tokyo in November. His lawyers cited concern that it could invite retaliation by Japanese authorities.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Himani Sarkar)