9:19 am, January 2, 2020
JAPANESE prosecutors have raided the Tokyo home of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn after he skipped bail before a trial on financial misconduct charges and left for Lebanon.
Japanese media reported on and showed photos of the raid. Government offices are closed this week for the New Year holidays.
It is unclear how Mr Ghosn avoided the tight surveillance he was under in Japan and escaped to Lebanon.
Mr Ghosn said he left for Lebanon because he thought the Japanese judicial system was unjust, and he wanted to avoid ‘political persecution’.
He said he would talk to reporters next week.
Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon.
Lebanon has said Mr Ghosn entered the country legally, and there was no reason to take action against him.
His lawyers in Japan said they had no knowledge of the escape and they had all his passports. Mr Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV, without identifying sources, reported that Mr Ghosn had two French passports.
Earlier Japanese reports said there were no official records in Japan of Mr Ghosn’s departure, but a private jet had left from a regional airport to Turkey.
Mr Ghosn, who was charged with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Company and alliance partner Renault SA.
His 1.5 billion yen bail that Mr Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.
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