It has been 31 days since the escape of former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon in the Middle East was revealed.

In the domestic market, but the trial of the case in which the original chairman has been accused of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law violations began, the prospect that former chairman himself returns to Japan is not, Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, in order to undergo a trial in Japan We would like to cooperate with related organizations and take measures as much as possible.

Ghosn, 66, a former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., issued a statement on December 31, a year before he was on bail and was banned from traveling abroad, revealing that he had fled to Lebanon in the Middle East. did.



Gone former chairman is international wanted from ICPO = International Criminal Police Organization, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, from the Kansai International Airport has taken the arrest warrant on suspicion of illegally leaving the country in a private jet, but the prospect to return to Japan does not stand ..



In the United States, in May 2020, former U.S. Army Special Forces member Michael Taylor (60) and his son Peter Taylor (27) were detained on suspicion of helping them escape, and the U.S. Department of State reported 10 In May, we approved the delivery to Japan.

The defense has filed an objection and the timing of the transfer is unclear, but the Special Investigation Department is expected to arrest two people as soon as they are transferred and to clarify the details of the escape.



In Japan, a trial of a case in which former chairman Ghosn stated his compensation in the securities report by less than 9.1 billion yen began in September 2020 at the Tokyo District Court, but the hearing was in the absence of the former chairman. It is proceeding as it is.

Former CEO Greg Kelly (64), who has been charged with acquittal and has been acquitted, is expected to be sentenced after the summer of 2021, and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office is to bring former chairman Ghosn to trial in Japan. , I would like to continue to cooperate with related organizations and take measures as much as possible.

Former Chairman Ghosn is now

Carlos Ghosn, former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., is believed to live in a home in a luxury residential area in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon in the Middle East.



Nissan is claiming ownership of the house and seeking eviction, and a trial is ongoing in Lebanon.

On the 30th, a year after Ghosn's arrival in Lebanon, several people, believed to be private security guards, were guarding the area around the house.



Former Chairman Ghosn announced in September that he would provide business administration courses and support for start-up companies at a university in the suburbs of Beirut, saying, "By creating employment and raising entrepreneurs, we will play a role in rebuilding Lebanon." He emphasized that he would contribute to the recovery of the Lebanese economy in crisis, but did not say anything about the incident.

According to the university, the spread of the new coronavirus has led to no lectures by former chairman Ghosn.



On November 4, he published a 470-page book entitled "The Time of Truth," co-authored with a journalist who is a former Tokyo bureau chief of Agence France-Presse and has a close relationship with former President Ghosn.

Former Chairman Ghosn was interviewed by several media during the publication, and Sky News Australia said, "I like Japan, but there is a dark side to this country. It's the judicial system." He insisted and criticized Japan's judicial system again.



Also, in late November, when a working group of the UN Human Rights Council released a statement saying that former President Ghosn was detained in criminal proceedings in Japan, he was in "arbitrary detention." On his website, he posted a statement from a lawyer saying, "We welcome the courageous decision that will be a decisive turning point."



The Government of Japan has filed an objection to the Working Group, arguing that the UN Human Rights Council's statement of opinion does not constitute "arbitrary detention."

Lebanese judicial investigation pending

For the time being, the judicial authorities in Lebanon, the Middle East, where Ghosn fled, heard the situation from him based on the international arrangements made by ICPO = International Criminal Police Organization, which was requested by Japan in January 2020. Travel is prohibited.



The Lebanese judiciary told NHK on the 24th that the ban on overseas travel is still ongoing, saying, "In order to proceed with the investigation, it is necessary to order more documents from Japan, and the documents are sent to the Japanese side. The investigation has been put on hold, repeating the conventional explanation that "I have requested, but it has not been sent so far."



The Lebanese government has so far acknowledged that former President Ghosn has entered Lebanon with legal documents and that there are no legal issues with his stay in Lebanon.

Interview in Lebanon, French judiciary

Former Chairman Ghosn is also being investigated by the French judiciary, where the head office of the car maker Renault, which was the top management, is located, and it is expected that he will be interviewed in Lebanon in January 2021.



In France, in 2019, Renault's internal investigation revealed opaque payments to a distributor in Oman, the Middle East, and former chairman Ghosn suspected that he had diverted company funds to a wedding reception at the Palace of Versailles. Emerged and Renault reported to the prosecution.



In response to this, the French judicial authorities started the "preliminary hearing procedure" in February 2020, saying that the former chairman's company's misappropriation of funds, back office, money laundering, etc. became more suspicious.

This procedure is a system in which a court trial judge collects evidence from the parties concerned and examines whether or not to bring it to trial, based on the request of the prosecution in a serious case.



According to the judicial authorities, the trial judge in charge of the case is expected to interview the former chairman himself in Lebanon for five days from January 18, 2021 with the cooperation of the Lebanese authorities.



The trial judge requested that he appear in July 2020, but the former chairman did not respond to reasons such as the Lebanese authorities keeping his passport.

Judiciary officials said in July that they had heard from two Renault officials, saying that investigations into former chairman Ghosn are underway.

The transfer of former U.S. military personnel who helped the escape to Japan

Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested by U.S. law enforcement authorities in May 2020 on suspicion of helping Carlos Ghosn escape, former U.S. Army special forces "Green Berets" former member Michael Taylor. And (60) his son, Peter Taylor, 27, is currently in detention in eastern Massachusetts.



The US State Department approved the transfer to Japan in October at the request of the Japanese side based on the treaty on the transfer of the suspect.



In response, the two lawyers have filed an objection, which is being heard in federal court in Massachusetts, and if the complaint is dismissed, the lawyers have indicated that they will appeal, so it is time to transfer. Is opaque.

Beirut citizens

Former Chairman Ghosn has been criticized by citizens of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon in the Middle East, where he fled, while he expected him to be a successful person in the face of a serious economic crisis.



A 51-year-old businessman said, "I think it's illegal for him to be in Lebanon, because if you have a problem abroad, you should take responsibility. The law applies to everyone. I can't support the idea of ​​running away, but I think the Lebanese government will hide him. "



A 70-year-old woman said, "I think the way I left Japan was wrong. However, some say that the trial in Japan is not fair. If he is afraid, he needs the mediation of the international community. I think it is. "



Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man said, "I believe Ghosn is innocent. I think I should stay in Lebanon until proved innocent. We will benefit from his knowledge and experience. We can do it, "said Ghosn, who wanted him to be involved in rebuilding the Lebanese economy.