Ex-Nissan chief flees Japan for Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon/TOKYO－Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was in his childhood home of Lebanon on Tuesday after fleeing was he said was a "rigged" justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the world's most-recognized executives slipped away while on bail.

Ghosn's abrupt departure marks the latest dramatic twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, jeopardized the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and top shareholder Renault SA and cast a harsh light on Japan's judicial system.

"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," Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement on Tuesday.

"I have not fled justice－I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week."

Tokyo officials have previously said the system is not inhumane and that Ghosn, who is facing trial on financial misconduct charges he denies, has been treated like any other suspect.

It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan, given that he had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail and had surrendered his passports.

Lebanese broadcaster MTV cited an official source as saying that Ghosn entered Lebanon using a French passport. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said they had no immediate comment on that report.

Ghosn arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday, said people familiar with the matter.

Japanese immigration authorities had no record of Ghosn leaving the country, the country's public broadcaster NHK said. A person resembling him entered Beirut international airport under a different name, NHK reported, citing an unidentified Lebanese security official.

Ghosn's lawyers were still in possession of his three passports, one of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters.