Former Nissan chief made escape to Beirut aboard charter flights
ANKARA, TURKEY >> Charter flights spirited ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Istanbul and from there to Beirut — an escape made possible with the help of an airline employee who falsified records. Security camera footage reportedly shows he simply walked out of his Tokyo home hours before fleeing the country.
Details emerged Friday of the bizarre path to freedom that allowed the exNissan boss to jump $14 million bail, seemingly under the noses of Japanese authorities, and evade charges of financial misconduct that could carry a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
The improbable weekend escape has confounded and embarrassed Japanese authorities, even setting off wild speculation that Ghosn was carted off inside a musical instrument case from his home, which was under 24-hour surveillance.
But on Friday, Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV cited investigative sources as saying security footage showed he simply walked out of the house alone around noon on Sunday. Details also emerged about the route the fallen auto industry executive took to Lebanon, where he grew up and is considered something of a national hero.
Turkish airline company MNG Jet said that two of its planes were used illegally in Ghosn’s escape, first flying him from Osaka, Japan, to Istanbul, and then on to Beirut, where he arrived Monday and has not been seen since.
It said a company employee had admitted to falsifying flight records so that Ghosn’s name did not appear on them, adding that he acted “in his individual capacity” without MNG Jet’s knowledge.
The company said it launched an investigation after learning from media reports that the planes were for Ghosn and not the officially declared passengers.
“The two leases were seemingly not connected to each other. The name of Mr. Ghosn did not appear in the official documentation of any of the flights,” the company said in a statement. It did not say who the jets were leased to or identify the employee it said aided Ghosn’s escape.
Lebanese authorities have said Ghosn entered the country legally on a French passport, though he had been required to surrender all three of his passports to his lawyers under terms of his bail. He also has Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship.
Interpol issued a wanted notice on Thursday for Ghosn, but Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon and it appeared unlikely he would be handed over.
The plane carrying Ghosn landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, which is closed to commercial flights and used only for cargo and private flights, the Interior Ministry said. “A transfer occurred in the cargo section,” of the airport, spokesman Ismail Catakli said. “In this way, Turkey was used as a transit point.”