December 31, 2019, 04:38 / Business

Former Nissan CEO escapes from house arrest

Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn left Japan, where he was under house arrest, and arrived in Lebanon, where his parents live, the Financial Times writes , citing a source close to the Ghosn family.

The FT suggested that Ghosn was able to fly from Tokyo to Beirut by changing the terms of the bail under which he was released from prison under house arrest.

Carlos Ghosn himself later confirmed his stay in Lebanon, reported Reuters . “I did not flee from justice - I am running from injustice and political persecution,” the agency quotes Ghosn as saying. The former head of Nissan added that he does not intend to “be held hostage” by the Japanese judicial system and will now be able to freely communicate with representatives of the press.

In November 2018, Tokyo prosecutors arrested him on charges of breach of trust, falsifying financial statements of income and fraud.

According to investigators, Ghosn could have hidden the size of his remuneration as chairman of the board of directors of Nissan since 2010, declaring only half of his income - about $89 million. Another accusation is that he covered losses amounting to 1.85 billion at the company's expense yen (about $21 million) incurred by him as a result of private investments was added later.

In April, Ghosn was placed under house arrest on bail of 500 million yen ($4.5 million). He does not admit his guilt.

The FT reported in May that Japanese prosecutors had built part of their case using evidence from a laptop obtained in Lebanon from one of Ghosn's aides. According to the publication, Ghosn has Lebanese, French and Brazilian citizenship and is a partner in several Lebanese businesses, including a winery.

Ghosn was working on a full merger between Renault and Nissan before the investigation against him began. The Nissan-Renault alliance was formed in 1999, and Mitsubishi Motors was added in 2016.