Beirut: Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn has accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him. He has vowed to prove his innocence at his first public appearance since fleeing the country.
The former Renault-Nissan boss described the financial misconduct charges he faced in Japan as ‘baseless’ as he addressed a large crowd of journalists in Beirut.
“The collusion between Nissan and prosecutors is everywhere,” Ghosn said and claimed his arrest in Japan was “staged”.
“There was no way I was going to be treated fairly … this was not about justice. I felt I was a hostage of the country that I have served for 17 years,” Ghosn pointed out.
“Thanks to the systematic leaking of false information and distorted information and the intentional withholding of exculpatory information by the prosecutor and by Nissan, I was presumed guilty before the eyes of the world and subject to a system whose only objective is to coerce confessions, secure guilty pleas,” added the former Nissan boss.
Ghosn, who denies any wrongdoing, fled while awaiting trial on charges including allegedly under-reporting his compensation to the tune of USD 85 million.
Ghosn said he was ‘presumed guilty’ and had ‘no choice’ but to jump bail. He added that he was told by his lawyers he would have to wait five years for a verdict. He asserted that he had been ‘ripped’ from friends and family when detained.
In a comment that risked causing further upset in Japan, he appeared to compare his arrest to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941. “I didn’t suspect anything … Did you see Pearl Harbour happening?” he asked.
The 65-year-old businessman, once a giant of the car industry, arrived in his native Lebanon last month, in the latest shock twist to a gripping saga. Ghosn’s bail jump has prompted outrage from the Japanese government, which has called his escape ‘unjustifiable’.
Many were hoping Ghosn would disclose details of his audacious flight from Japan to Beirut via Istanbul – a dramatic twist in a story worthy of a Hollywood plot. But Ghosn told reporters he was ‘not here to talk’ about how he fled Japan.
Ghosn stated that the charges against him stem from a ‘coup’ inside Nissan by disgruntled executives and Japanese officials who feared his plans to more closely integrate the car giant with its alliance partner, French firm Renault. Asked how high the alleged conspiracy went, Ghosn said he did not believe Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved.
Earlier Wednesday, private security personnel guarded the pink coloured villa in central Beirut where Ghosn is believed to be residing, as reporters camped outside.
Journalists, including several from Japan, watched with bated breath as vehicles – some with tinted windows – came and went from the premises.
Lebanon, which has no extradition agreement with Japan, has said Ghosn entered the country legally in possession of a French passport and a Lebanese identification card. The tycoon holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationalities.
AFP