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Tycoon to speak publicly after fleeing house arrest
Source:AFP Published: 2020/1/6 20:03:40
New reports emerged Monday on how fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn jumped bail in Japan, as the country's justice minister said border controls would be bolstered after the escape.
The 65-year-old executive skipped bail nearly a week ago, fleeing Japan where he was awaiting trial on multiple counts of financial misconduct that he denies.
The details of his escape remain spotty, with Japan saying it is still investigating how he slipped past strict security measures imposed as part of his bail conditions.
Citing people involved in the investigation, Nippon Television Network (NTV) said Monday that Ghosn boarded a "shinkansen" bullet train from Tokyo's Shinagawa station on December 29, 2019.
He is thought to have taken a private jet the same day from the airport, bound for Istanbul, where he switched planes and continued to Beirut.
But the exact circumstances of his departure from Japan are still shrouded in mystery.
The justice ministry said it did not have records of Ghosn departing Japan.
"It is believed that he used some wrongful methods to illegally leave the country," Justice Minister Masako Mori said at a press conference on Monday.
"I have instructed the immigration agency to further tighten the departure process," she added.
Ghosn will give a hotly awaited press conference in Lebanon on Wednesday, his spokesman said, offering clarity on his recent flight from Japan.
Since arriving in his native Lebanon after skipping bail in Japan almost a week ago, the businessman has given few media statements.
The press conference will be held in Beirut on January 8 at 1500 local time (1300 GMT), his spokesman told AFP without giving further details.
It was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the business world and his escape from Japan has left authorities there red-faced and scrambling to defend their justice system from fierce international criticism.
Ghosn twice won bail by persuading the court he was not a flight risk - decisions seen as controversial at the time.
The 65-year-old executive skipped bail nearly a week ago, fleeing Japan where he was awaiting trial on multiple counts of financial misconduct that he denies.
The details of his escape remain spotty, with Japan saying it is still investigating how he slipped past strict security measures imposed as part of his bail conditions.
Citing people involved in the investigation, Nippon Television Network (NTV) said Monday that Ghosn boarded a "shinkansen" bullet train from Tokyo's Shinagawa station on December 29, 2019.
Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn
He got off at a station in western Osaka, arriving around 7:30pm and taking a taxi to a hotel near Kansai Airport, NTV said.He is thought to have taken a private jet the same day from the airport, bound for Istanbul, where he switched planes and continued to Beirut.
But the exact circumstances of his departure from Japan are still shrouded in mystery.
The justice ministry said it did not have records of Ghosn departing Japan.
"It is believed that he used some wrongful methods to illegally leave the country," Justice Minister Masako Mori said at a press conference on Monday.
"I have instructed the immigration agency to further tighten the departure process," she added.
Ghosn will give a hotly awaited press conference in Lebanon on Wednesday, his spokesman said, offering clarity on his recent flight from Japan.
Since arriving in his native Lebanon after skipping bail in Japan almost a week ago, the businessman has given few media statements.
The press conference will be held in Beirut on January 8 at 1500 local time (1300 GMT), his spokesman told AFP without giving further details.
It was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the business world and his escape from Japan has left authorities there red-faced and scrambling to defend their justice system from fierce international criticism.
Ghosn twice won bail by persuading the court he was not a flight risk - decisions seen as controversial at the time.