Former Nissan boss Ghosn flees Japanese ‘injustice’
Print Edition
OUSTED Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape a “rigged” justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the world’s most-recognized executives had slipped away while on bail.
Ghosn’s abrupt departure marks the latest twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, jeopardized the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and top shareholder Renault SA and increased scrutiny of Japan’s judicial system.
“I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement on Tuesday.
“I have not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.”
Tokyo officials have previously said the system is not inhumane and that Ghosn, who is facing trial on financial misconduct charges he denies, has been treated like any other suspect.
It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan. He had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail and had surrendered his passports.
A Guardian report said that Carlos Ghosn reportedly fled his Japanese home in a musical instrument case, in an audacious Hollywood movie-style escape masterminded by his wife with the assistance of a Gregorian music band and a team of ex-special forces officers.
The escape began when the musicians arrived at Ghosn’s Tokyo residence where he had been living under strict bail conditions that included 24-hour camera surveillance, according to the Lebanese TV news channel MTV.
At the end of the performance, as the musicians packed up their instruments, Ghosn — whose height is stated at 1.7m in his Wikipedia entry — apparently slipped into one of the larger cases and was taken to a small local airport.
According to a senior Lebanese foreign ministry source, Ghosn entered Lebanon legally on a French passport and using his Lebanese ID with normal security procedures. People familiar with the matter told Reuters he had arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday.
The French and Lebanese foreign ministries both said they were unaware of the circumstances of his journey. “All discussion of it is his private matter,” the Lebanese ministry added.
Lebanon’s state security directorate said Ghosn will not face any legal consequences for the way he entered the country. The foreign ministry said Lebanon did not have a judicial cooperation agreement with Japan.
Japanese authorities had no record of Ghosn leaving and his lawyers were still in possession of his three passports.
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