The former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan back in November 2018 for allegations of misconduct and false accounting. He was on bail and under house arrest in Japan. Japanese authorities confiscated his passports. But still, he was able to escape. How was it possible?
In a statement on New Year’s Eve, Ghosn said: “I am now in Lebanon and 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, in flagrant disregard of Japan’s legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold.”
It was a Hollywood action movie-style escape. The plan was perfect with zero room for error by considering all legal aspects. I would call it a perfect escape plan, probably prepared by a highly professional team.
He was smuggled through a private security firm from Tokyo to Lebanon through a private jet. It is assumed that the whole plan took at least three months in the making. One of the chief architects behind the plan is suspected to be her wife, Carole, according to various media reports.
Ghosn is of Lebanese origin and also holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship. He surrenders all his three passports under the terms of his bail but was allowed by Japanese authorities to keep a spare French passport in a locked case while out on bail. How he opened the case to get the spare passport that is still a mystery.
Ghosn was smuggled in a box intended for transporting musical instruments from his home to a nearby airport. The private security firm members who smuggled him had disguised themselves as a music band who was supposed to perform at Ghosn’s home in Tokyo.
Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan, and he entered the country legally on a French passport so that no action will be taken against him.
For the time being, he is in a safe place now, and potentially avoided the charges which could carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. He denies all charges.
Japanese Authorities will now seize his 1.5bn yen (US$13.7m) bail money. It is assessed that Gosan has a net worth of $100 million.