Bassam Zaazaa, Beirut
Special to Arab News-Japan 

Carlos Ghosn may have traveled far and wide since his years in the village of Ajaltoun, in the Keserwan District of Mount Lebanon Governorate northeast of Beirut, but for school friends and acquaintances in the country he remains an “ordinary and humble person”.

To his credit, the former Nissan boss has maintained relationships with friends and classmates from his formative years and with his in-laws who live in Lebanon.

Ghosn is believed to be very proud of his Lebanese descent. This contradicts the claim that he had forgotten about his Lebanese lineage since he has lived elsewhere and holds the French and Brazilian passports.

According to people who know him, Ghosn speaks profoundly about being of Lebanese origin. Ghosn’s mother was born in northern Lebanese town of Mizyara and his love for Lebanese mountains made him buy a house for his family in Baabdat area. His wife owns an old house in Ajaltoun, as well as a flat in Beirut.

He is known to have a lot of friends of different ethnicities, faiths and nationalities. Born to a Lebanese family in Brazil, in 1954, Carlos Ghosn spent most of his childhood in Porto Velho where his grandfather Bichara had immigrated to at the age of 13 to escape poverty and sectarian strife in Lebanon. Ghosn later came back to study in Lebanon. He has also lived in France, Japan and the US.

Arab News Japan talked to one of Ghosn's old school friends, Nagy Khoury. They were both at the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

“We were school buddies and knew each other for many years. Carlos was a very ordinary and humble person … he was loved by all his friends and classmates,” says Khoury. Khoury doesn’t recall if Ghosn was outstanding academically but says he always smiled.

Good PR

“He always stood out for his good public relations. He never isolated himself and was friendly and loved by everyone,” Khoury said. “Ghosn always remained deeply rooted to Lebanon, his homeland, and never gave up on his heritage. He is so attached to his country.” 

Despite all the time spent abroad he hasn’t changed a bit, said Khoury, adding that every time he visited Lebanon, he would meet up with the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour alumni.

“We often threw gatherings whenever he visited. He remains the same Carlos we knew from childhood,” said Khoury. The last such gathering took place in 2016.

Prior to his detention in Japan, Ghosn visited Lebanon regularly to see his family, relatives and childhood and school friends.

The school alumni’s 45th anniversary was celebrated three years ago, and Ghosn was present on the occasion. Khoury and his classmates attended a church mass to mark the occasion and had lunch together.

“The atmosphere was that of fun and humor during our last gathering in 2016. Ghosn is a man of philanthropy … he provided financial support to students but never mentioned it because he is a compassionate human,” Khoury said.

Ghosn’s grandparents were believed to have migrated to two different continents, paternal grandparents going to Brazil and his maternal grandparents to Nigeria.

Like many Lebanese emigrants who go back to their homeland for holidays, Ghosn’s parents were in Lebanon for the summer holiday when they met. They got married and went to live in Brazil, where Carlos and his three sisters were born.

Praying for justice

His friends recall the most recent school gathering — an Easter church mass in Beirut in April —  when hundreds of his relatives, friends and well-wishers prayed for justice for Ghosn.

Fr. Charbel Batour led the mass in which he described Ghosn as a member of their family. The congregation prayed for the 65-year old’s release and for justice to be served. A distant relative of Ghosn, who wished not to be named, told Arab News that he is being unjustly detained.

“It is such a sorrow how such an iconic and successful businessman is being treated after all these years of serving Nissan. I am confident of his innocence … at least in Japan one knows that justice will be served independently,” said the relative.

On Sunday, Arab News visited Ghosn’s villa in the Achrafiyeh district of Beirut, where a neighbor, requesting anonymity, said the last time the owner visited the uninhabited villa was in November 2018.

Since then no one from his relatives or family is believed to have visited the place. 

“I have learnt from the private security men guarding ‏the property that it has been put up for sale for $16 million in an attempt to prevent Nissan from reclaiming the property,” said the neighbor.

A security guard at the property refused to comment.