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03/01/2020

From Japan To Lebanon – How Ghosn Escaped Is Yet Not Clear




The former chairman of Nissan and one of the icons of the global auto industry who was arrested in Japan November last year over charges of financial irregularities, Carlos Ghosn, has jumped bail and fled to Lebanon from Japan.
 
Ghosn’s three passports had been confiscated by Japanese authorities. Despite this, Ghosn managed to evade the authorities to flee to Lebanon.
 
It is however not completely clear how Ghosn has managed to flee Japan. According to reports in Lebanon, Ghosn and his wife Carole Nahas Ghosn had made use of private planes and possibly a box of a music instrument to stage the dramatic escape from Japan.
 
Reports said that Ghosn entered into Lebanon from Turkey on Monday. The modus operandi used by Ghosn to reach Turkey is not yet clear. According to reports published in the Lebanese media, the former Nissan boss had reportedly hid in a wooden box which was used for storing of musical instruments to flee unnoticed from Japan.
 
According to reports, the 65-year-old first arrived in Turkey and then took a private plane to Lebanon. Upon his arrival, he also met the Lebanese President and it has been reported that he is currently living in Beirut.
 
Carlos Ghosn had grown up in Beirut and owns three passports – a Brazilian, French and a Lebanese passport. According to analysts, one of the major reasons for selecting Lebanon to flee from Japan is because the country does not have any form of extradition treaty with Japan. It is therefore very difficult for Japanese authorities to get hands on Ghosn.
 
The former Nissan Chairman was arrested by the Japanese authorities in November 2018. Despite being granted bail in all of the charges brought against him, Japanese courts had set some very strict bail conditions on Ghosn which included keeping him under constant surveillance.
 
"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, in flagrant disregard of Japan's legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold," said Ghosn in a statement issued on Monday.
 
"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," he added.
 
 
(Source:www.indiatoday.in)

Christopher J. Mitchell
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