By Reuters Communications
Former Nissan Motor boss Carlos Ghosn, now an internationally wanted fugitive, spoke with Reuters in Beirut today, after his dramatic escape from Japanese justice.
Ghosn fled Japan at the end of December for Lebanon and was interviewed alongside his wife Carole today in Beirut by Alessandra Galloni, Global Managing Editors for Reuters.
Accusing him of hiding earnings, transferring investment losses to Nissan and misappropriating company funds, Japanese authorities have vowed to pursue Ghosn and have issued an international wanted notice for him and his wife.
In the Reuters interview, Ghosn revealed that the French ambassador had warned him shortly after his arrest that his own company was plotting against him.
“Frankly, I was shocked by the arrest and the first thing I asked is make sure Nissan knows so they can send me a lawyer,” he said.
“And the second day, 24 hours from this, I received a visit from the French ambassador who told me: ‘Nissan is turning against you’. And this is where I realized that the whole thing was a plot.”
Ghosn said he had escaped to his childhood home of Lebanon to clear his name and noted there were conflicting stories about his escape from Japan, however he declined to say how he managed to flee. Ghosn also said the Japanese authorities were intent on preventing him from having a just trial.
For a timeline on the key dates in the Ghosn affair, click here.
[Reuters PR Blog Post]
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