BEIRUT: The Lebanese government strongly claims that it has not played any role in former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan to Lebanon, apparently out of concern over a possible deterioration in its relations with Tokyo.

The government has played no official role in Ghosn's escape, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab told local broadcaster MTV on Thursday.

The Foreign Ministry has been repeatedly ruling out an involvement of Lebanon in the incident, saying that this is Ghosn's personal matter.

Ghosn, who has been indicted by Tokyo prosecutors for alleged financial misconduct, fled to Lebanon from Japan late last month while on bail ahead of his trial in the Asian country. As a condition for his release on bail, he had been banned from leaving Japan.

In his statement released Thursday, Ghosn claimed that he alone arranged his departure from Japan, denying that none of his family members played a role in the matter. But he gave no explanation on how he left the country.

On Ghosn's reported plan to hold a press conference in Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan said in an interview with Arab News, a Saudi Arabian newspaper, that he "may hold his press conference as long as he does not criticize any state and does not affect relations" between Lebanon and Japan, while noting that Ghosn, who has Lebanese citizenship, enjoys the same rights as all citizens of the country.

Under the circumstances, Ghosn may keep his mouth shut about details of how he sneaked out of Japan, analysts said.

Jiji Press