Khaldon Azhari Tokyo

Carlos Ghosn, former president of Nissan Motors, who was arrested and then released by the Tokyo court on a USD 10 million bail in April, may lose this money if he “escaped” from Japan, analysts in Tokyo said on Tuesday.

It was reported earlier that Ghosn arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Turkey around midnight on December 30. In Tokyo, no official reactions were given as of Tuesday noon, except for leaks from Ghosn defense team, which said that he “did not obtain a travel permit and that prosecutors were examining the situation.”

Leaks also suggested that he may have escaped from Japan and left Tokyo “without permission” and that “there are no changes up to that date in the legal status related to the bail money.” Ghosn’s chief lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters that “there is nothing to say about the situation.”

The Japanese persecutors accused Ghosn of violating company laws and committing financial irregularities, but Ghosn denied all the charges. His attorneys told a news conference last month that a campaign to discredit Ghosn had also implicated owners of companies in Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and accused them informally of a money-laundering operation for Ghosn and his family members.
A Tokyo analyst told Arab News that it is difficult for Ghosn to escape from Japan “without unofficial cooperation from the Japanese authorities.” They may have turned a blind eye to avoid judicial confrontation and possible adverse reports about the Japanese justice system, especially in the year of the 2020 Olympics.

Ghosn is unlikely to return to Japan any time soon. Japan has faced criticism abroad for its system of detaining suspects for an unlimited time without court ruling of crime.

“The Japanese authorities set up secret police to follow Ghosn 24/7, and all of his movements have been monitored, including communications at the house where he was staying,” an analyst said.

“Given the difficulty of leaving Japanese border points in airports or ports, as he is a well-known figure and his name is likely to be found in the records of those banned from traveling, makes it a grand escape if that was the case,” he said.

Some reports suggest that Ghosn left in a private jet under a different name. This raises questions related to an escape using a false passport and an international collusion to help him.

The Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Suzuki visited Beirut recently and met with his Lebanese counterparts. At the same time, unconfirmed reports in Tokyo claimed that former French President Sarkozy might have met Carlos Ghosn at the French embassy in Tokyo in November.