BEIRUT: A group of Lebanese lawyers on Thursday submitted to local prosecutors a document seeking the indictment of former Nissan Motor Co. boss Carlos Ghosn, who has fled to the Middle East country from Japan while on bail ahead of his trial, on charges of entering Israel.

The government of Lebanon, which has an adversarial relationship with Israel, obliges its people to boycott Israel, one of the lawyers said, noting that Ghosn has violated the rule as he has attended an economic event held in the country.

Some in Lebanon praise Ghosn, former chairman of the major Japanese automaker, as a hero, but he has breached law in that he has cooperated with the occupier of Palestine, the lawyer said, referring to Israel.

Ghosn, who has been indicted by Tokyo prosecutors for a series of alleged financial misconduct, fled to Lebanon from Japan on Monday without approval from Japanese authorities. As a condition for his bail, Ghosn had been banned from traveling abroad. Following the escape to Lebanon, Tokyo District Court revoked the bail for Ghosn.

Meanwhile, Ghosn released on Thursday a statement flatly denying his family's involvement in his departure from Japan. All media reports speculating that his wife, Carole, or other members of his family played a role in his exit from Japan are false, Ghosn claimed in the statement, adding that he prepared for his departure all by himself.

JIJI Press