Interpol issues wanted notice for former Nissan chairman
LEBANON has received an international wanted notice from Interpol for Nissan’s ex-chairman Carlos Ghosn, the country’s justice minister said.
The move comes four days after Mr Ghosn fled from Japan to Lebanon before a trial on financial misconduct charges. Albert Serhan said the Red Notice for the former automotive titan was received by the prosecution.
Mr Ghosn skipped bail before his much-anticipated trial, which was to start in April. He arrived in Lebanon, his country of origin, on Monday via Turkey and has not been seen in public since. Authorities have said he entered legally on a French passport.
Interpol’s so-called Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a wanted fugitive.
Mr Serhan said the Lebanese prosecution “will carry out its duties”, suggesting for the first time that Mr Ghosn may be brought in for questioning.
But he said Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty, ruling out the possibility Beirut would hand Mr Ghosn over to Japan.
Japanese prosecutors raided Mr Ghosn’s home in Tokyo yesterday. Japanese media showed investigators entering the home, which was Mr Ghosn’s third residence in Tokyo since he was first arrested a year ago. Authorities have now searched each one.
Mr Ghosn said in a statement he left for Lebanon because he thought the Japanese judicial system was unjust, and he wanted to avoid “political persecution”.
Lebanon said earlier 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. He has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.
The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency said Turkish authorities had detained seven people as part of an investigation into how Mr Ghosn fled to Lebanon via Istanbul.
Mr Ghosn, who was charged in Japan 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.
The 1.5 billion yen (£10.4 million) bail Mr Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.