BEIRUT – Former Nissan Chairman Carlos
Ghosn, who was awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial
misconduct, arrived in Beirut on Monday, saying in a prepared statement
he “will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system.”
It
was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origins, left Japan where
he was under surveillance and is expected to face trial in April.
“I am now in Lebanon. … I have not fled justice — I have escaped
injustice and political persecution,” Ghosn said in the statement.
Ghosn
criticized the 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.”
“I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week,” he said.
Ricardo Karam, a television host and friend of Ghosn who interviewed
him several times, said Ghosn arrived in Lebanon on Monday morning.
“He is home,” Karam said. “It’s a big adventure.”
Karam declined to elaborate. Local media first reported Ghosn arrived in Lebanon but didn’t offer details.
Ghosn,
65, had been on bail in Tokyo since April and is facing charges of
hiding income and financial misconduct. He has denied the charges. He
had been under strict bail conditions after spending more than 120 days
in detention.
Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.
The
Tokyo District Court said the terms of his bail remained unchanged,
banning him from traveling abroad, and legal experts in Japan said he
may have left the country without permission.
One of Ghosn’s
lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, said Tuesday afternoon the defense team
knows nothing more than the facts reported by media outlets.
“We
told the court that we are in a bind as well,” he said. “If he actually
left this country, it violates the conditions for bail.”
Hironaka
also said the defense counsel is holding Ghosn’s French, Brazilian and
Lebanese passports, as required by the terms of his bail, and he could
not have used any of them to leave Japan.
Junichiro Hironaka, one of
Carlos Ghosn's lawyers, speaks to the media outside his office in Tokyo
on Tuesday. He said he was surprised by news reports that Ghosn has left
Japan. | AFP-JIJI
Carlos Ghosn says he has 'escaped injustice' after fleeing Japan for Lebanon
AP, AFP-JIJI, Kyodo, Staff Report
BEIRUT – Former Nissan Chairman
Carlos Ghosn, who was awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial
misconduct, arrived in Beirut on Monday, saying in a prepared statement
he “will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system.”
It
was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origins, left Japan where
he was under surveillance and is expected to face trial in April.
“I am now in Lebanon. … I have not fled justice — I have escaped
injustice and political persecution,” Ghosn said in the statement.
Ghosn
criticized the 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.”
“I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week,” he said.
Ricardo Karam, a television host and friend of Ghosn who interviewed
him several times, said Ghosn arrived in Lebanon on Monday morning.
“He is home,” Karam said. “It’s a big adventure.”
Karam declined to elaborate. Local media first reported Ghosn arrived in Lebanon but didn’t offer details.
Ghosn,
65, had been on bail in Tokyo since April and is facing charges of
hiding income and financial misconduct. He has denied the charges. He
had been under strict bail conditions after spending more than 120 days
in detention.
Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.
The
Tokyo District Court said the terms of his bail remained unchanged,
banning him from traveling abroad, and legal experts in Japan said he
may have left the country without permission.
One of Ghosn’s
lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, said Tuesday afternoon the defense team
knows nothing more than the facts reported by media outlets.
“We
told the court that we are in a bind as well,” he said. “If he actually
left this country, it violates the conditions for bail.”
Hironaka
also said the defense counsel is holding Ghosn’s French, Brazilian and
Lebanese passports, as required by the terms of his bail, and he could
not have used any of them to leave Japan.
Later in the day, Kyodo
News reported that the Immigration Services Agency has found no records
of Ghosn’s departure from Japan, raising suspicion that he may haveused a
pseudonym to leave the country.
Under the conditions set by the
Tokyo District Court, he was not allowed to meet in Japan with his
Lebanese wife without being granted special permission, though the court
recently decided to allow him to talk with his wife via
videoconference, sources said last month. Ghosn’s defense team has
repeatedly criticized Japan’s prosecution procedures, saying he was
subjected to a host of questionable practices during more than 100 days
of detention prior to his release on bail. His lawyers also said he was
determined to fight all the allegations against him.
Many Lebanese
view Ghosn as a symbol of their country’s large diaspora and a prime
example of Lebanese entrepreneurial genius, and have been shocked by his
arrest.
He is expected to hold a news conference in Lebanon in the coming days.
The
Lebanon-based newspaper Al-Joumhouriya said Ghosn arrived in Beirut
from Turkey aboard a private jet. It was not possible to confirm those
details or how he was able to leave Tokyo.
A house known to belong
to Ghosn in a Beirut neighborhood had security guards outside with two
lights on Monday night, but no sign otherwise of anyone inside. The
guards denied he was inside, although one said he was in Lebanon.
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