Ghosn Says Lebanon 'Only Country' that Has Stood by Him, Apologizes for Israel Trip
Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn vowed Wednesday to clear his name as he made his first public appearance since skipping bail in Japan.
"I'm here to clear my name," he said at a news conference in Beirut where he arrived nearly two weeks ago after escaping from Japan where he was facing trial for financial misconduct.
"The charges against me are baseless."
With big gestures and a five-part slide presentation projected behind him, Ghosn brought his case to global media and said that his thought before fleeing Japan was: “You are going to die in Japan or you are going to get out.”
“I'm proud to be Lebanese and Lebanon is the only country in the world that has stood by me,” Ghosn added.
“I’m in Lebanon and I respect the country and I will not do anything that might negatively affect the Lebanese authorities. I will maintain silence and I won’t announce anything that may harm Lebanese-Japanese interests,” Ghosn went on to say.
Responding to a question about his 2008 visit to Israel, Ghosn said he “certainly” apologizes to the Lebanese people over the trip.
He added that he did not visit Israel as a Lebanese citizen but rather as Renault's boss and had no choice but to do so.
Declining to confirm whether or not he met with President Michel Aoun upon his arrival in Lebanon, Ghosn added that he is "ready to stay a long time" in the country.
“I do not have political ambitions but I'm ready, if asked, to offer my expertise in order to help the country,” Ghosn said in response to another question.
Ghosn also said that he would not disclose details about his escape from Japan in order to “protect” the individuals who “helped” him.
Alleging "collusion" between Nissan and Japan's prosecutor over his "staged arrest," Ghosn described his detention conditions in Japan as "travesty" against human rights and dignity.
He also said that he was "presumed guilty" and had "no choice" but to flee, while noting that he would not talk about how he fled Japan during the press conference.
He said the decision to escape Japan "was the most difficult of my life."
The former auto industry titan dismissed all allegations against him as untrue, saying "I should never have been arrested in the first place."
"I'm not above the law and I welcome the opportunity for the truth to come out and have my name cleared," he told a packed room of journalists.
In a comment that risked causing further upset in Japan, he appeared to compare his arrest to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
"I didn't suspect anything ... Did you see Pearl Harbor happening?"
Ghosn said that Nissan's stock market value had fallen by $40 million a day since his arrest, while that of Renault had slumped by 20 million euros daily.
In one declaration that raised eyebrows, he denied having quit as chief executive of Renault, contradicting an announcement that came from France's economy minister in January 2019.
"They said that I resigned from Renault. It's wrong," Ghosn said.
Asked how high the alleged conspiracy went, Ghosn said he did not believe Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved.
Ghosn smuggled himself from Tokyo to Beirut in late December, arriving in the Lebanese capital where he grew up and is regarded by many as a national hero.
His daring and improbable escape has perplexed and embarrassed Japanese authorities after he skipped bail and managed to flee the country despite supposedly rigorous surveillance.
Media reports have said that he left his residence alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet hidden inside a case for musical equipment. He flew to Istanbul and was then transferred onto another plane bound for Beirut, where he arrived Dec. 30.
On Wednesday, Ghosn portrayed his arrest as a plot linked to a decline in the financial performance of Nissan. Ghosn had been in favor of merging Nissan with industry ally Renault, of which he was also chairman.
"Unfortunately there was no trust. And some of our Japanese friends thought that the only way to get rid of Renault in Nissan is to get rid of me," he said.
Earlier in the day, Tokyo prosecutors raided a Japanese lawyer's office where Ghosn had visited regularly before he fled. Japanese media reports said prosecutors had likely seized the computer to track down how Ghosn escaped and who might have helped him.
An hour before the scheduled press conference, a Lebanese prosecutor said Ghosn will be summoned "in the coming hours" over a visit to Israel more than 10 years ago, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Two Lebanese lawyers had submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor's Office against Ghosn last week, saying he violated Lebanese law by visiting Israel. The two neighboring countries are technically in a state of war. Prosecutor Ghassan Khoury met with the two lawyers who filed the case on Wednesday and asked them to bring additional evidence, adding he would summon Ghosn in the coming hours.
Ghosn visited Israel in 2008 and met officials including the prime minister and the president. At the time he announced the launch of electric cars in Israel.
Lebanese authorities have said Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, casting doubt on the possibility they would hand him over to Japan. Lebanon last week received an Interpol-issued wanted notice -- a non-binding request to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive.
Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty, and the Interpol notice does not require Lebanon to arrest him.
Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, was expected to go on trial in Tokyo in April. In statements, he has said he fled to avoid "political persecution" by a "rigged Japanese justice system." He also said that he alone organized his departure from Japan and that his wife, Carole, played no role.
On Tuesday, Tokyo prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn on suspicion of perjury. That charge is not related to his escape. Lebanon's justice minister said Tuesday that Lebanon has not received any request related to that warrant.
Japanese justice officials acknowledge that it's unclear whether the Ghosns can be brought back to Japan to face charges.
Ghosn's former employer, Nissan Motor Co., said it was still pursuing legal action against him despite his escape, adding that Ghosn engaged in serious misconduct while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance. Ghosn denies all the charges.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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