Current Events > Former Nissan boss smuggled out of Japan to avoid criminal charges

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-50964040

He was once a titan of the car industry who held hero status in Japan. He then became one of the country's most well-known criminal suspects. Now he's an international fugitive.

Carlos Ghosn, the multi-millionaire former boss of Nissan, spent months preparing to stand trial on financial misconduct charges. At least, that was what the Japanese authorities were led to believe.

He posted 1bn yen (6.8m; $8.9m) in bail in April. He was monitored by a 24-hour camera installed outside his house. His use of technology was heavily restricted and he was banned from travelling abroad.

Then, in a move that left Japan red-faced and his own legal team baffled, he appeared in Lebanon on New Year's Eve. "I have escaped injustice and political persecution," he declared in a statement.

"We were completely caught by surprise. I am dumbfounded," his lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told a crowd of reporters in Tokyo shortly after learning of Mr Ghosn's flight. "I want to ask him, 'How could you do this to us?'"

One Lebanese TV channel - MTV - reported that Mr Ghosn had fled his court-approved residence in Tokyo with the assistance of a paramilitary group who were disguised amongst a band of musicians.

It said the band had performed at his house and, shortly after they had finished, the 65-year-old hid himself in a large musical instrument case which was then hurried to a local airport. If this really happened, it may have been a tight squeeze even for Mr Ghosn, whose height is reported at 5ft 6in (167cm).

According to the MTV story, he then flew to Turkey, before arriving in Lebanon on a private jet. The broadcaster provided no proof for this theory which, unsurprisingly, spread rapidly across social media.

But donning a spy-movie disguise is not beyond Mr Ghosn. In March, in a bid to throw journalists off his scent, he left prison disguised as a construction worker. He was quickly identified, mocked in the media, and his lawyer soon apologised for the "amateur plan".
...
The newspaper, which cited a number of unidentified sources, said a team was carefully assembled to carry out the plot. The group reportedly included accomplices in Japan who transported Mr Ghosn from his house and onto a private jet bound for Istanbul. From there, he continued his journey to Beirut where he arrived in the early hours of 30 December.

The plane tracking site FlightRadar24 showed a a Bombardier Challenger private jet arriving at Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport shortly after 04:00 local time. Mr Ghosn then met his wife Carole, who was born in the city and was heavily involved in the operation, the Wall Street Journal says.

Several reports have said Carole Ghosn was a major figure behind the plan for her husband to skip bail and get out of Japan. She spoke with him for more than an hour on 24 December, Mr Ghosn's Japanese lawyer said. The couple had previously been banned from meeting or communicating under Mr Ghosn's strict bail conditions.

After her husband arrived in Lebanon, Mrs Ghosn told the Wall Street Journal that their reunion was "the best gift of my life". She has not commented on her alleged involvement in the operation.

Earlier this year she told the BBC: "I want my husband back. I want him with me. I know he is innocent."

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He wasn't getting a fair trial in Japan at all by any standards including Japan's.
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And Lebanon will do nothing about it because hes rich.

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Hop103 posted...

He wasn't getting a fair trial in Japan at all by any standards including Japan's.

deets?

(or is it in the article?)

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cavalierking posted...

deets?

(or is it in the article?)

If you have basic knowledge of Japanese law or even a few cases, you'd know that murderers in Japan (even foreigners) have had way speedier trials than Ghosn's, their treatment was also better, this guy is being treated like a political prisoner or a terrorist and not like someone who's accused of a standard financial crime oh and he hasn't had his trial, he should've had his trial months from now since Japan can only hold a suspect for up to 24 days without a trial.
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Hop103 posted...

should've had his trial months from now since Japan can only hold a suspect for up to 24 days without a trial.

He's not been held; he was out on bail
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That escape sounds like a cartoon. I wonder if Plan B was get a really long trench coat and have somebody sit on his shoulders.

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Antifar posted...

He's not been held; he was out on bail

He's still going to stand trial, a trial that should've been held by now. It does not take almost a year just to get to trial (now getting to a verdict is another story, as a case like this could take a while).
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Hop103 posted...

Japan can only hold a suspect for up to 24 days without a trial.

A judge can extend it over and over indefinitely.

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Unfortunately, a delay in a trial is not a justification for becoming a fugitive.

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Rich assholes avoid continue to avoid justice

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Antifar posted...

fled his court-approved residence in Tokyo with the assistance of a paramilitary group who were disguised amongst a band of musicians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyz_2DEah4o
...and if you can find them, then maybe you can hire, the A-Team!

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