MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st December, 2019) Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who has been under house arrest in Japan, said on Tuesday that he left Japan fleeing from "political persecution," and confirmed he is currently in Lebanon.
On Monday, media reported that Ghosn, a holder of French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, arrived in Beirut. The Japanese Kyodo news agency reported hat he could have left Japan without a permission.
"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," Ghosn said in a statement, quoted by CNBS.
Ghosn said that he left Japan to escape injustice and political persecution in his home country.
"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," Ghosn added.
The Japanese NHK broadcaster reported later in the day, citing a source in the Lebanese immigration service, that Ghosn entered Lebanon under a false name.
Ghosn's detention is related to accusations that he significantly underreported his income during his time as a chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Ghosn claimed that he was paid 7.8 billion Yen ($71 million) in salary from 2010-2018, but prosecutors allege that he was in fact paid 17 billion yen. He will stand trial in Japan next year.
