CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
But the rights are bought by Harvey Weinstein. He badly needs to produce the sequel (with him as the main character).
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Report Nissan's Carlos Ghosn to be arrested by Japan authorities for alleged financial violations
SCOTT27
Drift Dynamo
De Niro would make a good Ghosn. Helen Mirren would play a great Macron’s mother...Sorry Wife.
tristatez28lt1
Tire Trailblazer
Surely “the other side” of the story but man is it a good one. And I do believe that Japan’s judiciary system and racism against foreigners is mostly correct.
I knew once he would open his mouth, things would get damn interesting.
Here’s the full hour version:
D
Deleted member 25
Apart from the too much tearful beginning and the versaille Bday justification, i found it damning for the japanese.
Soup
Premium
Carlos Ghosn issued travel ban in Lebanon after Interpol warrant
Japan hits back at former Nissan boss after fugitive attacks its controversial justice system
Carlos Ghosn issued travel ban in Lebanon after Interpol warrant
Japan has hit back at Carlos Ghosn after the former Nissan boss’s criticisms of the country’s justice system after his dramatic escape to Lebanon, as Beirut prosecutors issued a travel ban for the fugitive.
Masako Mori, Japan’s justice minister, on Thursday accused Ghosn of making “abstract, unclear or baseless assertions” about the Japanese criminal justice system, and said his flight was unjustified.
Lebanese prosecutors issued a travel ban for Ghosn after an Interpol red notice requesting his arrest, the Associated Press reported. Ghosn, who headed both Nissan and Renault before his arrest, was also questioned by the authorities in Lebanon over a 2008 visit to Israel, deemed an enemy of the Lebanese state, for the French carmaker.
Ghosn railed against his treatment by Japanese prosecutors at a press conference on Wednesday in Beirut, at which he tried to defend his reputation and disprove corruption allegations, including under-reporting his income from Nissan.
It was his first public appearance since fleeing Tokyo on 29 December, but Ghosn refused to give further details of his escape. The have been reports that he was smuggled through airport security in an audio equipment case. Ghosn is thought to have flown by private jet to Turkey, before switching to another plane to Beirut in an operation reportedly aided by former members of US special forces.
Among his many claims, Ghosn said Japan’s government officials had colluded with Nissan to bring the charges in a “Pearl Harbor” plot, that the case against him was “rigged” and that he was a victim of “hostage justice”, with long periods of detention and a ban on seeing his wife, Carole.
His escape, despite supposed constant supervision, has left Tokyo scrambling to respond. It has also put a spotlight on Japan’s justice system, which has been criticised as heavy-handed and unfair by human rights groups.
In a second statement on Ghosn within 24 hours, Mori said descriptions of “hostage justice” were “off the mark”.
She defended Japan’s 99% conviction rate, saying prosecutors only brought cases where they were almost certain of success. The system was designed “to avoid an innocent person to suffer from the burden of bearing judicial expenses”, Mori said. “The basic human rights of a suspect are duly taken into account by giving adequate break to the suspect during the interrogation.”
Japan hits back at former Nissan boss after fugitive attacks its controversial justice system
Carlos Ghosn issued travel ban in Lebanon after Interpol warrant
Japan has hit back at Carlos Ghosn after the former Nissan boss’s criticisms of the country’s justice system after his dramatic escape to Lebanon, as Beirut prosecutors issued a travel ban for the fugitive.
Masako Mori, Japan’s justice minister, on Thursday accused Ghosn of making “abstract, unclear or baseless assertions” about the Japanese criminal justice system, and said his flight was unjustified.
Lebanese prosecutors issued a travel ban for Ghosn after an Interpol red notice requesting his arrest, the Associated Press reported. Ghosn, who headed both Nissan and Renault before his arrest, was also questioned by the authorities in Lebanon over a 2008 visit to Israel, deemed an enemy of the Lebanese state, for the French carmaker.
Ghosn railed against his treatment by Japanese prosecutors at a press conference on Wednesday in Beirut, at which he tried to defend his reputation and disprove corruption allegations, including under-reporting his income from Nissan.
It was his first public appearance since fleeing Tokyo on 29 December, but Ghosn refused to give further details of his escape. The have been reports that he was smuggled through airport security in an audio equipment case. Ghosn is thought to have flown by private jet to Turkey, before switching to another plane to Beirut in an operation reportedly aided by former members of US special forces.
Among his many claims, Ghosn said Japan’s government officials had colluded with Nissan to bring the charges in a “Pearl Harbor” plot, that the case against him was “rigged” and that he was a victim of “hostage justice”, with long periods of detention and a ban on seeing his wife, Carole.
His escape, despite supposed constant supervision, has left Tokyo scrambling to respond. It has also put a spotlight on Japan’s justice system, which has been criticised as heavy-handed and unfair by human rights groups.
In a second statement on Ghosn within 24 hours, Mori said descriptions of “hostage justice” were “off the mark”.
She defended Japan’s 99% conviction rate, saying prosecutors only brought cases where they were almost certain of success. The system was designed “to avoid an innocent person to suffer from the burden of bearing judicial expenses”, Mori said. “The basic human rights of a suspect are duly taken into account by giving adequate break to the suspect during the interrogation.”
Soup
Premium
Carlos Ghosn flashes passion and defiance on Beirut stage
In a career defined by masterful speeches and self-assurance on stage, no appearance by Carlos Ghosn has been so widely anticipated. The lightning storm raging in Beirut as the former Nissan chairman took to the podium in the Lebanese Press Syndicate offices on Wednesday added to the sense of something momentous.
He had come, just days after spiriting himself from Japan to Lebanon, with a specific set of aims: demonstrating the failures of the Japanese justice system and showing that it had been weaponised by Nissan and the government to bring him down. In the space of more than two hours, he ranged broadly over his experiences at the hands of prosecutors to the uncertain future of the global corporate alliance he once ran. Here is what we did — and did not — learn from the event.
What else did we learn about the escape?
Mr Ghosn remained coy about the details of his dramatic flight from Japan. “I am not here to talk about how I managed to leave,” he said. But he did give a glimmer into his thinking.
The 65-year-old decided to engineer the escape plot — which involved former special forces and an elaborate transport through a private jet terminal while hiding inside a musical equipment box — after learning his trial could drag on for years. “You’re going to die in Japan or you’re going to have to get out,” he said. Being parted from his wife Carole — they spoke only twice since last April, both times filmed and monitored — was also deeply painful, he said. She was the first person he saw after arriving at his wife’s family home in Beirut last week.
During the escape, which began on Sunday afternoon and saw him land in Lebanon early on Monday morning, he described himself as being “nervous, tense, anxious, hopeful, but frankly . . . numb”.
He described his time in prison in detail, with a “tiny cell with no window”, 30 minutes outside a day, except at weekends because of guard numbers, and almost no access to lawyers or medication. He could only shower twice a week. He said he went six days without human contact during the new year break. When asked if he would recommend a packing case as a means of travel, Mr Ghosn smiled and moved on to the next question.
What new evidence did he show?
Mr Ghosn spent close to an hour presenting his case, including documents that he said prove the allegations levelled against him are baseless.
He faces four charges — two over allegedly failing to disclose some compensation, and two for allegedly using funds for personal gain.
Large images of the documents flashed on screen, with signatures from executives and key passages of text highlighted, but the slides moved too fast to allow proper immediate scrutiny for those in the room or watching the video link. Mr Ghosn said he is “ready to share the documents”, saying they would need to approach his team of Lebanese and international lawyers, though in the hours immediately following the session they have not been disclosed.
He also spent time defending decisions to hold a birthday party at the Palace of Versailles, and using Nissan-owned homes around the world, despite neither relating directly to the charges levied against him by Japanese prosecutors. These, he argued, formed part of a “character assassination” against him by Nissan, the prosecutors and parts of the media.
His defence was nothing if not impassioned — and clearly would form the pillar of his strategy if he does eventually stand trial. But without combing the documents, it was impossible to pass a verdict on his attempts to sweep away the allegations.
Will he stand trial?
The most frequent question was whether Mr Ghosn, who said he wants to clear his name, will see the inside of a courtroom and answer the allegations raised against him. In defiant mood, he said he was prepared to stand trial “anywhere I can be guaranteed a fair trial”. Before the hearing his legal team said he wants a trial in Lebanon, but during the session Mr Ghosn said he was prepared to stand trial in France, Brazil or Lebanon — countries where he is a citizen, and which do not extradite their citizens to Japan.
His legal team in Japan could not assure him of a fair trial, and he said that the judge in the case was often ignored by the prosecution team. “I didn’t escape because I was guilty. I escaped because I had zero chance of a fair trial.” He is now prepared to spend significant time in Lebanon, with his travel restricted by an Interpol red notice, as well as an arrest warrant for his wife, Carole.
He painted the presentation as the beginning of his defence — indicating there are more media engagements, possibly with more details and allegations — to follow.
Where does Mr Ghosn think his downfall leaves the Renault-Nissan alliance?
Under Mr Ghosn’s stewardship, Renault, Nissan and eventually Mitsubishi grew closer together and expanded to become, jointly, the world’s second-largest carmaker.
Its future has been in question since his arrest removed the glue that held the often-distrustful businesses together.
The two sides almost came apart last year, Renault’s new chairman Jean-Dominique Senard told the FT, but now the companies have plans to mend their strained relationship, with new leaders and promises to work together in the future.
With Fiat Chrysler, once a merger partner for Renault, tieing up with France’s PSA, the alliance has a fresh impetus to work together in an industry facing squeezed margins and higher costs.
Mr Ghosn on Wednesday said the partnership “can succeed without me,” but warned against running the businesses by consensus, something Mr Senard has proposed.
“What we see today is a masquerade of an alliance,” he said. “The alliance is not going to work with consensus. That I can tell you.”
He said the only three large carmakers over the past year that have fallen in market value were Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi. Nissan’s shares have fallen about 40 per cent over the past year, while Renault has dropped by a third.
“Look at the results,” he added. “When I look at what happened for the last 13 months, with everything — I’m not reassured about the future of the alliance.”
How will the performance in Beirut play in Japan?
Despite Mr Ghosn’s assertion that Japan had successfully painted him as a “cold, greedy dictator” since his arrest, he remains — as he also claimed during his speech — a figure that many Japanese revere despite everything that has happened.
His performance at the press conference with its powerful, confident assertions and passionate delivery, provided supporters with exactly the Carlos Ghosn the country remembers from the two decades it lauded him as the saviour of Nissan.
But in the days since his escape to Lebanon, the mood in Japan has also shifted and for all its verve, this press conference is unlikely to reverse that. While his condemnation of Japan’s justice system was raw and convincing, his earlier claims that he would present hard evidence of collusion between Nissan and the government to bring him down did not immediately emerge. He claimed he would maintain his silence on the names of Japanese government officials out of courtesy for Lebanon’s diplomatic ties with the country, but some inside Japan questioned whether he had any direct evidence of government involvement.
For the Japanese authorities, still smarting at the humiliation of Mr Ghosn’s escape, the press conference was a calculated irritant. Within moments of its finishing, Japan’s Minister of Justice released a statement accusing Mr Ghosn of “propagating false information on Japan’s legal system and its practice”.
The deputy chief prosecutor, also palpably infuriated, said events had shown it was right to warn that Mr Ghosn was a flight risk, and that the allegations made during the press conference “completely ignore his own conduct”.
Hiroto Saikawa, Mr Ghosn’s handpicked successor who was ousted as CEO in September, rebuffed claims he was involved in a Nissan coup to bring him down. “The real reason he ran away is because he was afraid of being found guilty. I feel strongly that I was betrayed,” Mr Saikawa said.
In a career defined by masterful speeches and self-assurance on stage, no appearance by Carlos Ghosn has been so widely anticipated. The lightning storm raging in Beirut as the former Nissan chairman took to the podium in the Lebanese Press Syndicate offices on Wednesday added to the sense of something momentous.
He had come, just days after spiriting himself from Japan to Lebanon, with a specific set of aims: demonstrating the failures of the Japanese justice system and showing that it had been weaponised by Nissan and the government to bring him down. In the space of more than two hours, he ranged broadly over his experiences at the hands of prosecutors to the uncertain future of the global corporate alliance he once ran. Here is what we did — and did not — learn from the event.
What else did we learn about the escape?
Mr Ghosn remained coy about the details of his dramatic flight from Japan. “I am not here to talk about how I managed to leave,” he said. But he did give a glimmer into his thinking.
The 65-year-old decided to engineer the escape plot — which involved former special forces and an elaborate transport through a private jet terminal while hiding inside a musical equipment box — after learning his trial could drag on for years. “You’re going to die in Japan or you’re going to have to get out,” he said. Being parted from his wife Carole — they spoke only twice since last April, both times filmed and monitored — was also deeply painful, he said. She was the first person he saw after arriving at his wife’s family home in Beirut last week.
During the escape, which began on Sunday afternoon and saw him land in Lebanon early on Monday morning, he described himself as being “nervous, tense, anxious, hopeful, but frankly . . . numb”.
He described his time in prison in detail, with a “tiny cell with no window”, 30 minutes outside a day, except at weekends because of guard numbers, and almost no access to lawyers or medication. He could only shower twice a week. He said he went six days without human contact during the new year break. When asked if he would recommend a packing case as a means of travel, Mr Ghosn smiled and moved on to the next question.
What new evidence did he show?
Mr Ghosn spent close to an hour presenting his case, including documents that he said prove the allegations levelled against him are baseless.
He faces four charges — two over allegedly failing to disclose some compensation, and two for allegedly using funds for personal gain.
Large images of the documents flashed on screen, with signatures from executives and key passages of text highlighted, but the slides moved too fast to allow proper immediate scrutiny for those in the room or watching the video link. Mr Ghosn said he is “ready to share the documents”, saying they would need to approach his team of Lebanese and international lawyers, though in the hours immediately following the session they have not been disclosed.
He also spent time defending decisions to hold a birthday party at the Palace of Versailles, and using Nissan-owned homes around the world, despite neither relating directly to the charges levied against him by Japanese prosecutors. These, he argued, formed part of a “character assassination” against him by Nissan, the prosecutors and parts of the media.
His defence was nothing if not impassioned — and clearly would form the pillar of his strategy if he does eventually stand trial. But without combing the documents, it was impossible to pass a verdict on his attempts to sweep away the allegations.
Will he stand trial?
The most frequent question was whether Mr Ghosn, who said he wants to clear his name, will see the inside of a courtroom and answer the allegations raised against him. In defiant mood, he said he was prepared to stand trial “anywhere I can be guaranteed a fair trial”. Before the hearing his legal team said he wants a trial in Lebanon, but during the session Mr Ghosn said he was prepared to stand trial in France, Brazil or Lebanon — countries where he is a citizen, and which do not extradite their citizens to Japan.
His legal team in Japan could not assure him of a fair trial, and he said that the judge in the case was often ignored by the prosecution team. “I didn’t escape because I was guilty. I escaped because I had zero chance of a fair trial.” He is now prepared to spend significant time in Lebanon, with his travel restricted by an Interpol red notice, as well as an arrest warrant for his wife, Carole.
He painted the presentation as the beginning of his defence — indicating there are more media engagements, possibly with more details and allegations — to follow.
Where does Mr Ghosn think his downfall leaves the Renault-Nissan alliance?
Under Mr Ghosn’s stewardship, Renault, Nissan and eventually Mitsubishi grew closer together and expanded to become, jointly, the world’s second-largest carmaker.
Its future has been in question since his arrest removed the glue that held the often-distrustful businesses together.
The two sides almost came apart last year, Renault’s new chairman Jean-Dominique Senard told the FT, but now the companies have plans to mend their strained relationship, with new leaders and promises to work together in the future.
With Fiat Chrysler, once a merger partner for Renault, tieing up with France’s PSA, the alliance has a fresh impetus to work together in an industry facing squeezed margins and higher costs.
Mr Ghosn on Wednesday said the partnership “can succeed without me,” but warned against running the businesses by consensus, something Mr Senard has proposed.
“What we see today is a masquerade of an alliance,” he said. “The alliance is not going to work with consensus. That I can tell you.”
He said the only three large carmakers over the past year that have fallen in market value were Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi. Nissan’s shares have fallen about 40 per cent over the past year, while Renault has dropped by a third.
“Look at the results,” he added. “When I look at what happened for the last 13 months, with everything — I’m not reassured about the future of the alliance.”
How will the performance in Beirut play in Japan?
Despite Mr Ghosn’s assertion that Japan had successfully painted him as a “cold, greedy dictator” since his arrest, he remains — as he also claimed during his speech — a figure that many Japanese revere despite everything that has happened.
His performance at the press conference with its powerful, confident assertions and passionate delivery, provided supporters with exactly the Carlos Ghosn the country remembers from the two decades it lauded him as the saviour of Nissan.
But in the days since his escape to Lebanon, the mood in Japan has also shifted and for all its verve, this press conference is unlikely to reverse that. While his condemnation of Japan’s justice system was raw and convincing, his earlier claims that he would present hard evidence of collusion between Nissan and the government to bring him down did not immediately emerge. He claimed he would maintain his silence on the names of Japanese government officials out of courtesy for Lebanon’s diplomatic ties with the country, but some inside Japan questioned whether he had any direct evidence of government involvement.
For the Japanese authorities, still smarting at the humiliation of Mr Ghosn’s escape, the press conference was a calculated irritant. Within moments of its finishing, Japan’s Minister of Justice released a statement accusing Mr Ghosn of “propagating false information on Japan’s legal system and its practice”.
The deputy chief prosecutor, also palpably infuriated, said events had shown it was right to warn that Mr Ghosn was a flight risk, and that the allegations made during the press conference “completely ignore his own conduct”.
Hiroto Saikawa, Mr Ghosn’s handpicked successor who was ousted as CEO in September, rebuffed claims he was involved in a Nissan coup to bring him down. “The real reason he ran away is because he was afraid of being found guilty. I feel strongly that I was betrayed,” Mr Saikawa said.
Soup
Premium
Yamaha warns customers not to climb into musical equipment cases after Carlos Ghosn's escape
New York (CNN Business)Yamaha is reminding people that musical equipment cases are for musical equipment — not people — two weeks after fugitive auto titan Carlos Ghosn reportedly was smuggled out of Japan in one.
In a tweet over the weekend, the Japanese musical equipment company said it was not naming any names, but noted there had been many recent stories about people getting into musical equipment cases. Yamaha (YAMCY) warned people not to get into, or let others get into, its cases to avoid "unfortunate accidents."
Multiple media outlets have reported that Ghosn managed to sneak through a Japanese airport to a private jet that whisked him out of the country by hiding in a large, black music equipment case with breathing holes drilled in the bottom. CNN Business has not independently confirmed those details of his escape. The former Nissan (NSANF) CEO had been out on bail awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial wrongdoing before making his stunning escape to Lebanon at the end of December. Ghosn has referred to his departure as an effort to "escape injustice."
In an interview with CNN's Richard Quest last week, Ghosn did not comment on the nature of his escape, saying he didn't want to endanger any of the people who aided in the operation.
Ghosn did, however, respond to a question about what it felt like to ride through the airport in a packing case by first declining to comment but then adding: "Freedom, no matter the way it happens, is always sweet."
In a press conference in Lebanon ahead of the CNN interview last Wednesday, Ghosn's first public appearance since fleeing Japan, Ghosn said he decided to leave the country because he believed he would not receive a fair trial, a claim Japanese authorities have disputed.
Brands sometimes capitalize on their tangential relationship to big news in order to attract attention on social media.
Yamaha is one of Japan's best known brands and Ghosn was one of Japan's top executives before being ousted from Nissan — a match made in social media heaven. Not surprisingly, Yamaha's post went viral on Twitter over the weekend.
CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
More like Ninjas vs Desperado (hiding surprises in the case of his musical instrument).
Soup
Premium
Carlos Ghosn's lawyers in Japan quit after client's flight to Lebanon
Junichiro Hironaka had been representing Ghosn in his defense against financial misconduct charges
TOKYO — Japanese attorneys representing Carlos Ghosn, including lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, quit on Thursday following the former Nissan chief’s flight to Lebanon from Japan, where he had been fighting financial misconduct charges.
Hironaka had been representing Ghosn in his defense against financial misconduct charges. His move, announced Thursday, was widely expected after Ghosn escaped to Lebanon late last month.
A second lawyer in Ghosn’s three-person legal team, Takashi Takano, also quit on Thursday, according to an official at his office.
A person who answered the telephone at the office of the third lawyer, Hiroshi Kawatsu, said she did not know if he still represented the former automotive executive.
Hironaka said in a statement that the entire team working on the case at his office will quit but did not outline reasons. He has said before he felt some empathy for Ghosn's reasons for escape, while stressing he had hoped to win vindication in court.
Hironaka is respected for winning high-profile cases in this nation where the conviction rate is higher than 99%. Among the cases he has handled is that of Atsuko Muraki, a Welfare Ministry official accused of falsely approving a group to qualify for mail discounts. She was acquitted in 2010.
Also Thursday, Nissan released steps it was taking to prevent a recurrence of Ghosn's scandal, and reiterated its denouncement of Ghosn. The automaker said in a report submitted to the Tokyo Stock Exchange that Ghosn had the authority to “single-handedly” determine directors' compensation and such information was not shared with other departments at the company. The underreporting of his future compensation is among the allegations Ghosn faced in Tokyo.
In a news conference last week in Beirut, Ghosn insisted again that he was innocent of the charges, which also included breach of trust in diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. He said he fled because he felt he could not expect a fair trial in Japan.
Ghosn's flight while he was out on bail awaiting trial means his case will not go on in Japan. Interpol has issued a wanted notice but his extradition from Lebanon is unlikely.
Ghosn has accused Nissan and Japanese officials of conspiring to bring him down to block a fuller integration of Nissan with its French alliance partner Renault SA of France.
Ghosn, who has signed on an international team of lawyers, has expressed willingness to stand trial in Lebanon.
Nissan also said that Ghosn obtained compensation from a venture company in the Netherlands set up Mitsubishi, a smaller Japanese automaker with which Nissan set up an alliance under Ghosn. Ghosn has denied wrongdoing about the spending at the venture.
Nissan said independent outside directors had been added to its board. It denied recent reports about troubles in the Renault alliance, and has stressed the alliance remains strong.
Japanese prosecutors have said repeatedly they are confident they have a case, and Ghosn's flight underlines how he sought to skirt the law.
Ghosn led Nissan, based in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy.
Junichiro Hironaka had been representing Ghosn in his defense against financial misconduct charges
TOKYO — Japanese attorneys representing Carlos Ghosn, including lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, quit on Thursday following the former Nissan chief’s flight to Lebanon from Japan, where he had been fighting financial misconduct charges.
Hironaka had been representing Ghosn in his defense against financial misconduct charges. His move, announced Thursday, was widely expected after Ghosn escaped to Lebanon late last month.
A second lawyer in Ghosn’s three-person legal team, Takashi Takano, also quit on Thursday, according to an official at his office.
A person who answered the telephone at the office of the third lawyer, Hiroshi Kawatsu, said she did not know if he still represented the former automotive executive.
Hironaka said in a statement that the entire team working on the case at his office will quit but did not outline reasons. He has said before he felt some empathy for Ghosn's reasons for escape, while stressing he had hoped to win vindication in court.
Hironaka is respected for winning high-profile cases in this nation where the conviction rate is higher than 99%. Among the cases he has handled is that of Atsuko Muraki, a Welfare Ministry official accused of falsely approving a group to qualify for mail discounts. She was acquitted in 2010.
Also Thursday, Nissan released steps it was taking to prevent a recurrence of Ghosn's scandal, and reiterated its denouncement of Ghosn. The automaker said in a report submitted to the Tokyo Stock Exchange that Ghosn had the authority to “single-handedly” determine directors' compensation and such information was not shared with other departments at the company. The underreporting of his future compensation is among the allegations Ghosn faced in Tokyo.
In a news conference last week in Beirut, Ghosn insisted again that he was innocent of the charges, which also included breach of trust in diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. He said he fled because he felt he could not expect a fair trial in Japan.
Ghosn's flight while he was out on bail awaiting trial means his case will not go on in Japan. Interpol has issued a wanted notice but his extradition from Lebanon is unlikely.
Ghosn has accused Nissan and Japanese officials of conspiring to bring him down to block a fuller integration of Nissan with its French alliance partner Renault SA of France.
Ghosn, who has signed on an international team of lawyers, has expressed willingness to stand trial in Lebanon.
Nissan also said that Ghosn obtained compensation from a venture company in the Netherlands set up Mitsubishi, a smaller Japanese automaker with which Nissan set up an alliance under Ghosn. Ghosn has denied wrongdoing about the spending at the venture.
Nissan said independent outside directors had been added to its board. It denied recent reports about troubles in the Renault alliance, and has stressed the alliance remains strong.
Japanese prosecutors have said repeatedly they are confident they have a case, and Ghosn's flight underlines how he sought to skirt the law.
Ghosn led Nissan, based in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy.
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Premium
Ex-Nissan Boss Carlos Ghosn Says Company Will Go Bankrupt In 2-3 Years
The now-fugitive auto mogul didn't offer detailed reasons though.
Carlos Ghosn is making news around the world again, folks. After spectacularly escaping Japan in December and landing in Lebanon, the former Nissan boss gave a comprehensive press conference to media representatives to explain his version of the situation. As a recall, Ghosn is facing several charges of financial misconduct in Japan, including underreporting his income.
During another press conference held in Tokyo yesterday, a former prosecutor and a vocal critic of the country’s justice system, Nobuo Gohara, provided interesting information about his relationship with Ghosn.
“He told me that Nissan will probably go bankrupt within two to three years,” Gohara said, also adding that Ghosn didn’t go into details of why Nissan would face financial troubles. Azusa Momose, a spokeswoman for the Japanese automaker, declined to comment when approached by Reuters.
A report from earlier this year suggested Ghosn’s arrest could lead to the separation of Renault and Nissan. According to preliminary information, the discussions between executives within Nissan include complete engineering and manufacturing split between the two manufacturers, plus major changes to the Nissan board of directors.
Gohara and Ghosn met five times during a two-month period prior to the Brazilian-born businessman’s escape from Japan. The lawyer interviewed Ghosn for a book he planned to release but, according to Reuters, that book is no longer likely to happen. Gohara and Ghosn last met just two days before the auto executive fled Japan.
“Nissan and prosecutors worked together to bring a criminal case against Ghosn,” Gohara added during the conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The now-fugitive auto mogul didn't offer detailed reasons though.
Carlos Ghosn is making news around the world again, folks. After spectacularly escaping Japan in December and landing in Lebanon, the former Nissan boss gave a comprehensive press conference to media representatives to explain his version of the situation. As a recall, Ghosn is facing several charges of financial misconduct in Japan, including underreporting his income.
During another press conference held in Tokyo yesterday, a former prosecutor and a vocal critic of the country’s justice system, Nobuo Gohara, provided interesting information about his relationship with Ghosn.
“He told me that Nissan will probably go bankrupt within two to three years,” Gohara said, also adding that Ghosn didn’t go into details of why Nissan would face financial troubles. Azusa Momose, a spokeswoman for the Japanese automaker, declined to comment when approached by Reuters.
A report from earlier this year suggested Ghosn’s arrest could lead to the separation of Renault and Nissan. According to preliminary information, the discussions between executives within Nissan include complete engineering and manufacturing split between the two manufacturers, plus major changes to the Nissan board of directors.
Gohara and Ghosn met five times during a two-month period prior to the Brazilian-born businessman’s escape from Japan. The lawyer interviewed Ghosn for a book he planned to release but, according to Reuters, that book is no longer likely to happen. Gohara and Ghosn last met just two days before the auto executive fled Japan.
“Nissan and prosecutors worked together to bring a criminal case against Ghosn,” Gohara added during the conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
