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Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn Flees from Japan to Lebanon

takyon writes:

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's ex-head, flees Japan to Lebanon

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has travelled to Lebanon after fleeing Japan, where he faces a trial over allegations of financial misconduct. In a statement, Mr Ghosn said he had not fled justice but "escaped injustice and political persecution".

His lawyer said he was "dumbfounded" by the news and that he had not recently spoken with his client. It is unclear how the former chief executive officer managed to leave, as he was barred from travelling abroad.

Mr Ghosn, who has an estimated net worth of $120m (£91m), was one of the most powerful figures in the global car industry until his arrest in November 2018. He denies any wrongdoing. His case has attracted global attention and his months-long detention led to increased scrutiny of Japan's justice system.

The 65-year-old was born in Brazil to parents of Lebanese descent and was raised in Beirut, before travelling to France for further education. He holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese passports.

Interpol issues wanted notice to Lebanon for ex-Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn

Interpol issued a so-called "Red Notice" Thursday for former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon rather than face trial on financial misconduct charges in an escape that has baffled and embarrassed authorities.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive. A Red Notice is not an arrest warrant and does not require Lebanon to arrest Ghosn.

Carlos Ghosn: How did the Nissan ex-boss flee from Japan?

Lebanon's MTV Lebanese reported that Mr Ghosn had fled his court-approved residence in Tokyo with the assistance of a paramilitary group who were disguised amongst a band of musicians.

It said the band had performed at his house and, shortly after they had finished, the 65-year-old hid in a large musical instrument case which was then hurried to a local airport. If this really happened, it may have been a tight squeeze even for Mr Ghosn, whose height is reported at 5ft 6in (167cm).

According to the MTV story, he then flew to Turkey, before arriving in Lebanon on a private jet. The broadcaster provided no proof for this theory which, unsurprisingly, spread rapidly across social media.

Mr Ghosn's wife, Carole, however, told Reuters news agency that reports of the musical escape were "fiction". She declined to provide details of the escape.

Donning a spy-movie disguise is not beyond Mr Ghosn. In March, in a bid to throw journalists off his scent, he left prison disguised as a construction worker. He was quickly identified and his lawyer soon apologised for the "amateur plan".

Carlos Ghosn Flirted With Hollywood, Then Delivered a Plot Twist

The fallen auto titan held early discussions with a movie producer before his audacious escape. The film's villain: Japanese justice.

Why did the former CEO of Nissan just get smuggled out of Japan?

Freeman writes:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/01/ex-nissan-boss-flees-japan-by-plane-turkey-arrests-pilots/

The past few days have been filled with drama for one of the auto industry's most well-known executives. Carlos Ghosn used to run the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, a complicated partnership-not-a-merger between the three car makers that sells more metal than everyone other than Toyota and Volkswagen Group. But in November 2018, he was arrested by Japanese police on charges of financial misconduct and was replaced as the head of both Nissan and Mitsubishi.
[...]
Rather than continuing to submit to the Japanese criminal justice system—which has a near-perfect conviction rate, sharing few of the same protections for suspects that exist in the US or Europe—Ghosn apparently decided a change of scenery was in order. Which is where it all gets a bit weird. Late on the night of December 29, he managed to flee the country for Lebanon; he holds Lebanese (as well as French and Brazilian) citizenship and is close with the Lebanese government, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.
[...]
Initial reports that he had been hiding in a box meant to contain musical instruments for a band that played at his house are apparently wide of the mark. Instead, it's more likely that he was smuggled onto a private cargo jet in Osaka, bound for Istanbul, Turkey. The Turks aren't particularly happy about being involved and have arrested four pilots, two ground handlers, and the operations manager of the cargo company for their involvement in the escape.

Previously: Nissan Motor Chairman and Others Set to be Indicted
French Government Seeks Integration of Renault and Nissan Automakers
Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn's Bail Conditions Revealed

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