Carlos Ghosn infamously escaped Japan in what has since been referred to as a Houdini-like stunt. And his Japanese lawyers did not appreciate he did that without any prior warning, to say the least.
According to reports on multiple news and media outlets, Japanese attorneys representing the former Nissan Chief “quit” on Thursday, January 16, 2020, due to his unauthorized and unannounced flight to Lebanon in December 2019, which has paralyzed the financial misconduct charges and the case against him.
Subsequently, the office of the lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka just issued an official statement that they had filed with the Tokyo District Court letters of resignation for all Ghosn’s lawyers who are connected with all cases related to Ghosn.
Although he expressed that he has felt some “empathy” for Ghosn’s reasons for wanting to escape, he stressed that he had hoped to win the trial legally in court.
A second lawyer in Ghosn’s three-person legal team, Takashi Takano, has also quit according to an official who has spoken to the press on his behalf from his offices.
As per Reuters’ reports, a woman who reportedly answered the phone at the office of Ghosn’s third lawyer Hiroshi Kawatsu stated she did not know if he still represents Ghosn or has any ties to his case at this time.
In case you have been living under a rock, Ghosn spent 130 days in detention and faced financial misconduct charges in Japan.
However, he has repeatedly denied all the charges and claimed he was a victim of a conspiracy plot by both Nissan and Japanese officials.
In his press conference in January 2020 from Beirut, Ghosn stated he fled due to the fact that he could not anticipate a fair trial for himself in Japan. He has also previously insisted that the Japanese legal procedures being undertaken against him were unjust.
As reported on multiple news outlets, Ghosn is believed to have left Japan in true Hollywood fashion – alleged to have hidden in a large case for audio equipment aboard a private jet, aided by a team of operatives.
Interpol has issued a wanted notice but his extradition from Lebanon is currently unlikely and paralyzed amid more pressing matters (like maybe the Revolution, or the fact that we still do not have a government. Maybe.)
Meanwhile, legal cases persist against Ghosn’s alleged accomplice Greg Kelly, who also faces related financial misconduct charges associated with Ghosn’s case.