Carlos Ghosn's 'Great Escape' Escalates into Japan-Lebanon Diplomatic Issue

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The fallout from former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn's escape to Beirut is showing signs of escalating into a diplomatic issue between Japan and Lebanon. Following the announcement that Ghosn's side plans a press conference on the 8th after declaring his arrival in Lebanon, and reports from close aides that he met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Japan's mood has soured. The Japanese government plans to negotiate with Lebanon for Ghosn's extradition, but the Lebanese government has drawn a line, stating that he entered legally using a French passport and will not take legal action.

According to foreign media including Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 1st, Ghosn's local representative in Lebanon revealed that Ghosn plans to hold a press conference in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on the 8th. It is expected that Ghosn will use this press conference to create favorable public opinion. In a statement released through his representative on the 31st of last month, he claimed, "I will no longer be a hostage to the flawed Japanese judicial system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are ignored," and asserted, "I fled from injustice and political persecution." He was arrested in 2018 on charges of embezzlement, breach of trust, and underreporting income, and was awaiting trial in April this year, but he denied the entire process.

Japan maintains the position of summoning Ghosn back to its territory. After the Japanese court revoked Ghosn's bail on charges of violating immigration control laws, the Japanese government plans to request his extradition from the Lebanese government. Bloomberg News reported on the 1st, citing a senior Japanese official, that the Japanese government is expected to engage in talks with the Lebanese government through diplomatic channels regarding Ghosn's extradition. Since there is no extradition treaty between the two countries, Japan must request Ghosn's extradition through diplomatic negotiations with Lebanon.

However, the likelihood of the Lebanese government accepting the extradition request is very slim. Lebanese authorities stated that after Ghosn's arrival, he entered legally using a French passport and that they have no plans to take legal action against him. Especially, since President Aoun met with him, it suggests that Lebanon has no intention of complying with Japan's request.

Lebanon is like a hometown to Ghosn. Although he was born in Brazil, he spent his school years in Lebanon and still has many relatives living there. In 2017, a postage stamp featuring his face was issued, and when he was arrested in 2018, billboards saying "We are all Carlos Ghosn" appeared in Beirut. Notably, Ghosn's wife, Carole Ghosn, who played a decisive role in his escape, is also from Lebanon. If the Japanese government continues to send extradition requests, it is expected that diplomatic friction between the two countries will intensify.

France's diplomatic news channel France24 reported that Carole Ghosn is a businesswoman running a kaftan manufacturing company in the United States specializing in Middle Eastern traditional clothing, and that she married Ghosn in 2016. She is known to have coordinated Ghosn's escape plan by contacting not only the Lebanese government but also the armed group Hezbollah, along with her brothers in Lebanon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.