BEIRUT/TOKYO
Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant on Thursday for fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, while Turkey launched an investigation into his daring escape from Japan.
Ghosn has become an international fugitive after he revealed on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system in Japan.
The Interpol red notice, which calls on authorities to arrest a wanted person, was received by Lebanon’s internal security forces and has yet to be referred to the judiciary, a judicial source told Reuters. Lebanon has no extradition agreement with Japan and Ghosn enjoys widespread support in the country of his childhood, where he holds extensive investments in banking and real estate.
Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, was smuggled out of Tokyo by a private security company, a plan that was in the works for three months and involved transit through Turkey. Turkish police on Thursday detained seven people, including four pilots, as part of an investigation into Ghosn’s passage through the country, a police spokeswoman said.
Flight tracking data suggests Ghosn used two different planes to fly to Istanbul and then to Lebanon.
Sources close to Ghosn said he decided to flee Japan after learning that the second of his two trials had been delayed until April 2021 and also because he had not been allowed to speak to his wife as part of strict bail conditions. Meanwhile, .Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday the country’s authorities allowed Ghosn to carry a spare French passport in a locked case while out on bail to facilitate travel within the country, potentially shedding some light on how he managed to escape despite having passports held by Japanese lawyers. Courtesy: REUTERS
