
New York
Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn said Monday that he has left Japan for Lebanon to escape “political persecution.”
“I am now in Lebanon,” Ghosn said in a statement, confirming media reports that he arrived in the country after leaving Japan, where he was awaiting trial on his alleged financial misconduct.
He said he “will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.”
The system is “in flagrant disregard of Japan’s legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold,” according to the statement.
“I have not fled justice,” he continued. “I have escaped injustice and political persecution.”
“I can now finally communicate freely with the media and look forward to starting next week,” the statement added.
Jiji Press