(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron came out in public to say he’s worried about Carlos Ghosn’s time in jail. And he said as much to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“All I’ll say is that I felt the detention was too long and too hard, and I told Abe that,” Macron told reporters in Cairo, referring to a telephone conversation with Abe on Friday. “I’m just concerned that the case of a French citizen should respect basic decency.”

It was Macron’s strongest comment yet in a two-month crisis triggered by the arrest and incarceration of a business icon whose demise as the head of Renault SA threatens a two-decade alliance with Nissan Motor Co.

Macron’s foray risks being seen as meddling in Japan’s justice system.

No Bail

Ghosn has been in custody since his Nov. 19 arrest in Tokyo. He has been indicted for allegedly understating his income at Nissan and transferring personal trading losses to the carmaker.

He has been denied bail after Japanese prosecutors argued he’s a flight risk. His lawyers say he could stay in custody until a trial that could be six months away.

France’s government owns a controlling stake in Renault, which is a controlling shareholder of Nissan. Ghosn resigned last week and Renault appointed Michelin chief Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman and Thierry Bollore as chief executive officer.

“We will be diligent to ensure the stability of the group,” Macron said.

The president has a history with Renault. On Sunday, he defended an increase in the French stake in 2015 on his watch as economy minister. It was a move that had rattled Nissan.

“I was happy I intervened, because I felt that Ghosn had gone too far in the ‘Nipponization’ of the group,” he said.

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