Ousted Nissan Chairman Awaiting Trial Flees to Lebanon

Carlos Ghosn, the ousted chairman of Nissan who has been waiting for trial on criminal charges in Japan, has said this week that he has left Japan and is now in Lebanon.

“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,” Ghosn stated.

“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.

No details were given on how Ghosn left Japan.

According to a Reuter’s report, Ghosn’s lawyer said the former Nissan chairman’s behavior was “inexcusable” and that Ghosn had probably violated bail conditions. Reuters had said that all of Ghosn’s three passports were held by lawyers still.

Ghosn had been arrested after Hiroto Saikawa, the Japanese automaker’s chief executive at that time, accused him and another executive of a litany of financial misdeeds.