‘A Lebanese phoenix’: Beirut MPs leap to Ghosn’s defense
He may have fallen from grace internationally as one of the auto industry’s most powerful leaders, but Carlos Ghosn can count on continued support in at least one corner of the globe.
Lebanon has long held hopes that Ghosn, whose grandparents were Lebanese and who holds extensive development projects in the country, would play a bigger role in politics one day, or help rescue its increasingly sluggish economy.
But Ghosn, ex-chairman of Nissan Motor Co., was detained last month on allegations of underreporting his income, and on Friday, a Japanese court approved extending his detention for 10 more days.
Now, politicians are mobilizing in his defense, with some suggesting his detention may be part of a political or business-motivated conspiracy, and the government even considering extraditing him from Tokyo to face trial here.
“To Carlos Ghosn in his predicament I say, a Lebanese phoenix will not be scorched by the Japanese sun,” Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said at a security conference in Beirut this week.
Lebanon, a tiny country of 4.5 million, takes immense pride in its huge emigrant community, and successful businessmen and celebrities of Lebanese heritage. They include Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim, Colombian singer Shakira, Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek, Lebanese-British barrister Amal Clooney and fashion designers Elie Saab and Reem Accra.
The Lebanese took special pride in the auto industry icon, who holds a Lebanese passport, speaks fluent Arabic and visits regularly. Born in Brazil, where his Lebanese grandfather had sought his fortune, Ghosn grew up in Beirut, where he spent time at a Jesuit school.
As he began his ascent in the auto industry, first with Renault and then by bringing Nissan in Tokyo back from the brink of bankruptcy, Ghosn kept in touch with old friends. He married twice, first to a Lebanese woman who lives in Beirut and again, in 2016, to Carole Nahas, also of Lebanese heritage.
Although the extent of his businesses in Lebanon is not known exactly, Ghosn has spoken in interviews about real estate projects in the country and sits on the board of several universities, hospitals and charities. In 2012, he became a partner in the Lebanese winery IXSIR, and is a board member of family-owned Saradar Bank.
In 2017, the government honored him with a special postage stamp — a show of respect to a man considered a model of Lebanese entrepreneurial spirit.
So when news broke on Nov. 19 that Ghosn, 64, had been detained on allegations he underreported millions of dollars in income, and that Nissan is accusing him of using company money for personal gain, people in Lebanon were stunned — and many were unconvinced.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil issued a statement saying Lebanon would stand by Ghosn, adding he had asked the Lebanese ambassador to Tokyo to look out for “the model of Lebanese success abroad.” The ambassador has since reportedly met three times with Ghosn — who is being held in a small cell in the Japanese capital — providing him with a mattress and food, according to one local TV channel.
Ghosn’s downfall has sparked various conspiracy theories, with some claiming that his arrest was a US ploy to punish him for resisting sanctions on Iran and others speculating it was an internal coup engineered by Nissan executives.
Melhem Riachi, the information minister, urged officials to intervene, tweeting: “An inves- tigation is extremely important. Something stinks.”
Allegations against Ghosn reported in the Japanese media, but unconfirmed, suggest he spent Nissan funds on homes in Paris, Beirut, Rio de Janeiro and Amsterdam, and on family vacations. Ghosn has denied the allegations, saying he had no intention of underreporting his income.
Ghosn’s three-story property in one of Beirut’s most prized real estate districts stands out for its pink walls and blue shuttered windows. The traditional old Lebanese house was acquired and renovated in 2014, according to neighbors who said they occasionally saw him visiting.
“He is a successful businessman with a good reputation ... he is not someone you would expect to be a cheat,” said Rouba Rabah, who owns an art gallery opposite Ghosn’s property.