The former CEO of Nissan Carlos Ghosn escaped, just two days before the end of 2019, what he described as a “rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.”
This stunt comes amid a long ongoing legal battle he has been part of over claims of financial misconduct from when he chaired Nissan.
He is now residing in Lebanon after escaping the ban that prohibited him from leaving Japan.
Ghosn flew from Osaka to Turkey, and from there to Lebanon, sources confirm. Since then, Turkish officials have been investigating in Carlos Ghosn’s escape thoroughly.
Turkey’s officials question how a giant businessman (that has been battling with the Japanese judiciary system publicly for more than a year) like Carlos Ghosn can enter Turkey and leave without anyone identifying him or without him leaving a trace behind.
According to The New York Times, Turkish authorities questioned on Thursday seven people, including four pilots, about the role they may have played in helping Carlos Ghosn make his escape from Tokyo to Beirut, offering new clues to his mysterious flight.
New information suggests that Ghosn used the jets in Turkey illegally, as confirmed by a Turkish private jet operator.
The operator said that Ghosn used two of its planes illegally in his escape from Japan, with an employee falsifying lease records to exclude his name from the documents.
According to Reuters, one of the jets used by Ghosn (MNG) filed a criminal complaint about the incident a day after Turkish police detained and questioned the seven people.
Ghosn reportedly left Japan late Sunday aboard a business jet from Osaka to Istanbul Ataturk Airport, where he quickly switched to another plane and flew to Beirut.
An MNG employee confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity, without the knowledge or the authorization of the management of MNG Jet.
The business guru has become an international fugitive after he revealed on Tuesday, December 31, 2019, that he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system in Japan, where he faces the charges of alleged financial crimes.
However, much about his flight remains unknown, including how he was able to escape surveillance in Japan, how he arranged his flights to Lebanon, and whether he was helped by any other countries.
Many speculations have been pointed at France in particular; whether it has any part in helping Ghosn escape, due to the fact that he used his French passport to enter Lebanon.
Ghosn’s Japanese legal team insisted that all three of Ghosn’s passports (Lebanese, Brazilian, and French) are still in their possession.
The French foreign ministry declined to comment on reports that Ghosn had used a French passport to enter Lebanon.