Carlos Ghosn Wonders Why Japanese Don’t Question Him In Lebanon

Carlos Ghosn Wonders Why Japanese Don't Question Him In Lebanon
The Times/Ollie Marsden

Carlos Ghosn is set to be questioned by France over criminal charges against him, without leaving Lebanon, as the Lebanese Justice Ministry recently announced that French investigators would come to Lebanon in January to question him.

In light of this, Ghosn has raised the question of why the Japanese authorities have not opted to do the same and send a team to question him in Lebanon.

In an interview with LBCI on Monday, the former Renault-Nissan executive said that there is neutrality in Lebanon, noting that the Lebanese authorities had asked Japan to send the charges against him and that Japan did not.

“What does that mean?” the fugitive businessman asked. He used this to reaffirm his innocence from the charges against him and to stress that he was treated unfairly by the Japanese authorities.

“Now the French have charges. They are coming and they will question me. The Japanese are not doing this,” he said, adding, “I consider all the charges to be false.”

Ghosn also said that Lebanon, where he has been residing for a year after escaping the Japanese authorities, “proved that it protects its citizens.”

“I am a French citizen and the French state did not defend me,” he stated.

Carlos Ghosn is open to questioning in Lebanon by the Japanese.
Wael Hamzeh/EPA

Aside from the charges of breach of trust, company asset misuse for personal gain, and securities laws violation in Japan, Ghosn is facing several allegations in France, including fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.