AFP, TOKYO: The head of collapsed Bitcoin exchange MtGox has been released on bail nearly a year after his arrest on embezzlement charges, according to one of his lawyers. Television footage showed France-born Mark Karpeles, 31, leaving the Tokyo Detention House on Thursday after reportedly paying more than 10 million yen ($95,000) to secure his release. It was the first time that Karpeles -- noticeably thinner with long hair in a pony tail and wearing a baseball cap -- has been out of custody since his arrest in August following the demise of the Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange. "He is very pleased," lawyer Nobuyasu Ogata said of his client's release. Karpeles is facing allegations that he fraudulently manipulated data and pocketed millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency.