Former car chief arrested over defects cover-up

The former president of scandal-plagued Mitsubishi Motors was arrested today on charges related to a cover-up of defects suspected in a fatal accident.

The Japanese car giant’s current chief, Yoichiro Okazaki, apologised for the death in a statement and said he was taking the news of the arrest seriously.

Police confirmed that Katsuhiko Kawasoe had been arrested on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Mitsubishi Motors has been plagued by a series of recalls since it admitted four years ago it had systematically hidden defects in cars and announced a massive recall.

Kawasoe resigned in 2000 to take responsibility for the scandal and denied any knowledge of the cover-up that had been going on for decades at his company.

Although the car and truck manufacturer has repeatedly promised to come clean, the spate of recalls has not stopped.