Tired of being what he calls, Tuesday morning, December 31, in a short press release, “Hostage to a biased Japanese justice system” in which the “Basic human rights are denied”, Carlos Ghosn chose to flee. According to the Lebanese daily Al Joumhouria, who first relayed the information, the former leader of the Renault-Nissan alliance left Japan where he was under house arrest and landed Monday, December 30 in the morning in Beirut on a private plane from Turkey. He officially confirmed it on Tuesday: “I am now in Lebanon. “
He is said to have found his wife, Carole, and to live in a house protected by several guards. He could give a press conference soon in which he should attack Japan and the charges against him. “I did not run away from justice – I freed myself from injustice and political persecution. I can finally now communicate freely with the media and I can’t wait to start next week. ”, he explains in the text broadcast.
How did he leave? According to a source cited by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, he may have left the country under a false identity. A check of the data of the immigration services shows that there has been no exit from the territory under the name of Carlos Ghosn.
” I do not know “, say its lawyers interviewed by the NHK. Same reaction on the part of the prosecutors in charge of the investigation concerning him and the Ministry of Justice, who “Seek to confirm information”.
French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationalities
The businessman arrested in November 2018 and indicted on four occasions for financial embezzlement has been under house arrest since his release on bail on April 24 after a total of 130 days in police custody. The conditions of his residence prohibited him from traveling abroad. He was also not allowed to see or communicate with his wife. The prosecution had repeatedly refused any relaxation.
Carlos Ghosn stayed in a house in the upscale Hiroo district of central Tokyo. Surveillance appears to have been less than strict even though it was carried out by the police, the prosecutor’s office and, in a private capacity, by Nissan. His daughters visited him regularly.
The choice of Lebanon is not trivial. Son of Lebanese immigrants to Brazil, Mr. Ghosn holds nationality, as do those of Brazil and France. If, today, his supporters in Beirut are nuanced, because of the bad image he can give the country, he has long enjoyed unconditional support. His success in the recovery of the Japanese manufacturer Nissan had made him a hero. A stamp bearing his effigy had been issued.
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