American Greg Kelly denies concealing $87m in payments in Tokyo trial expected to last 10 months

A former Nissan executive who is accused of conspiring with the firm’s fugitive former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, to falsify financial statements has pleaded not guilty in the first hearing of his highly anticipated trial.

American Greg Kelly, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of financial misconduct, faces a single charge – conspiring to under-report tens of millions of dollars in pay that Ghosn was allegedly due to receive after his retirement.

Related: Carlos Ghosn, ousted Nissan boss, says he has fled 'Japanese injustice'