Ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn who was facing financial misconduct trial in Japan ‘takes private jet to Lebanon’ amid confusion over whether he has fled justice or reached a deal
- Ghosn has been accused of corruption and was voted off Nissan board in April
- French media reports the ousted boss flew into Lebanon on Monday evening
- It is unclear how Ghosn would have been able to leave Japan while awaiting trial
Carlos Ghosn, the ousted boss of the Renault-Nissan carmaking alliance who was awaiting trial in Japan, flew into Lebanon on Monday evening, France’s Les Echos newspaper reported.
The newspaper cited its own unnamed source and a report in Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour. There was no immediate confirmation from official sources.
It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds both French and Lebanese citizenship, would have been able to leave Japan, where he has been under strict court-imposed restrictions on his movements.
Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s ousted boss, said he is the victim of a ‘conspiracy’ by ‘backstabbing’ executives in a video recorded before his latest arrest last week and played to journalists
The Financial Times said Ghosn had arrived in his parents’ native Lebanon, landing in Beirut on Sunday.
Ghosn claimed he was innocent of all charges against him and the victim of a conspiracy back in April.
In a video he released to journalists, he said the executives behind the conspiracy were motivated by what he called ‘selfish fears’ and mistook his leadership for greed and dictatorship.
It came days after he was taken back to jail on Thursday last week amid claims that $5 million sent by a Nissan subsidiary, meant for an Oman dealership, was diverted to a company effectively controlled by him.
Ghosn was previously arrested on November 19 last year fand released March 6 on a near $9 million bail.
He has been charged with under-reporting his compensation in financial documents, and with breach of trust in having Nissan shoulder investment losses and making suspect payments to a Saudi businessman.
Ghosn says the compensation was never decided on or paid, no investment losses were suffered by Nissan, and the payments were for legitimate services.
Yokohama-based Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models, was on the brink of bankruptcy when Renault sent Ghosn to turn it around two decades ago.
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance now rivals car giants Volkswagen AG of Germany and Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp in global sales.