'They threatened my family': Ghosn accuses Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of colluding against him

RT
Wed, 08 Jan 2020 15:08 UTC

© Reuters / Mohamed Azakir

Former Nissan chairman, Carlos Ghosn, during a news conference at the Lebanese Press Syndicate in Beirut.

Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn has made his first public appearance since his sensational escape from Japan, accusing the company of colluding with prosecutors, and claiming his family was in jeopardy.

"I did not escape justice. I fled injustice and political persecution," Ghosn told a conference room packed with international journalists in Beirut, Lebanon.

The businessman, who was due to face trial for embezzlement and under-reporting his income in Japan, said that fleeing the country was "the most difficult decision" of his life. However, he said that he had no other choice as his family was allegedly in danger.

Ghosn claims that Japanese officials told him: "It will be over if you just confess. If you don't confess, not only are we going to go after you, we are going to go after your family."

He said he was treated "brutally" by police who "spent 14 months trying to break my spirit, barring any contact with my wife."

The businessman of French, Lebanese and Brazilian origin, who essentially saved Nissan from bankruptcy two decades ago, disappointed the press by saying he wasn't planning to reveal how he managed to escape from Japan before the New Year.

Some reports claim that Ghosn, who had been under house arrest since the spring of last year, used public transport to get from Tokyo to Osaka, where he was carried aboard a private jet inside a crate used for transporting musical instruments.

"I am here to talk about why I left," the 65-year-old pointed out, blaming the Japanese justice system of violating his basic human rights and being particularly strict on foreigners.

He said all charges against him were "baseless," and claimed that the real reason for his persecution was his work to deepen the alliance between Nissan and French carmaker Renault.

"Some of my Japanese friends thought that the only way to get rid of the influence of Renault on Nissan, was to get rid of me," he explained.

He claims his arrest was a result of "collusion between Nissan and the prosecutors," who did what the company told them.

The businessman said he was eager to clear his name and find justice elsewhere if it was impossible to do so in Japan.

Comment: Fox News adds:

Ghosn, as expected, alleged that he was interrogated for up to eight hours a day by Japanese authorities and was held "definitively" in solitary confinement for 130 days after several failed attempts at posting bail. He also claimed he was not permitted to have attorneys present when he was questioned and was only permitted to shower twice a week. Under the terms of Ghosn's bail, he was restricted from contacting his family, including his wife Carole. On Tuesday, prosecutors in Japan obtained an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn on suspicion of perjury. [...]

He's also under investigation by France.

"There was no end in sight," he said. "Those conditions remained more or less the same, day after day, week after week, month after month. The feeling of hopelessness was profound." [..]

"There was no interest in finding the truth," he said. "There was strong interest in building a case against me."