A year after his arrest, Carlos Ghosn's strategy to exonerate himself from allegations of fraud and financial wrongdoing is becoming clearer: It's all a conspiracy.

Out on bail, the former chairman and chief executive officer of the global alliance between Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. intends to show that prosecutors, the trade ministry and the Japanese automaker colluded to arrest and charge him.

They leaked "false information to the media to damage Mr. Ghosn's reputation and impair his ability to receive a fair trial," according to Junichiro Hironaka, Ghosn's lead counsel.