BEIRUT: Nissan's lawsuit in Lebanon against former CEO Carlos Ghosn over his use of a Beirut home will wrap up at the end of March, the carmaker's lawyer told AFP on Monday.

The Japanese auto giant filed a case 15 months ago against Ghosn on the grounds he was illegally using a large residence paid for by Nissan in central Beirut.

Nissan lawyer Sakher al-Hashem said the car manufacturer wants Ghosn, who has been living in it since he jumped bail in Japan and took refuge in Lebanon, to vacate the house.

A hearing was held on Monday and the next, which Hashem said would last before a ruling, was scheduled for March 30 by a Beirut court.

A judge last month rejected Ghosn's request to have security guards stationed outside his residence by Nissan removed.

Ghosn considers he is the rightful owner of the distinctive house with pink walls and pale blue shutters, located on an upmarket street of the capital.

The former head of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance fled Japan, where he faces several years in jail on charges of financial misconduct, late last year,

He reached Lebanon in mysterious circumstances and has rarely been seen in public since launching a spirited defense at a well-choreographed January 8 press conference.

AFP