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In an elegant villa on a main street in the Ashrafieh area of Beirut, and in a laid-back lifestyle away from the lights with his wife and a small group of friends, that’s how car mogul Carlos Ghosn has lived since he fled. from Japan to Lebanon in late 2019 and banned from traveling. A different life than the one he used to have before his arrest in Japan while traveling the world, except that “he did not return to his previous life and feels rooted in Lebanon, and this is priceless.”
With a different lifestyle away from travel and lights, the car tycoon lives Carlos Ghosn In Beirut, he has led a quiet life since he fled Japan a year ago, where he is on trial on various charges, including tax evasion. The Lebanese-Brazilian-French businessman, former head of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance, took advantage of the fact that Lebanon did not deliver its citizens to another country to stand trial, to remain from his mysterious and controversial escape from Tokyo, away from the Japanese judiciary, to the that he had placed under strict house arrest, while being prevented from doing so. Leave the Lebanese territories.
Ghosn now lives in an elegant villa on an upscale street in Beirut’s Ashrafieh district, which was bought and restored by Nissan when he was its president. He spends his time with his wife, Carol, and also surrounds himself with a narrow circle of close friends. Sometimes he spends short vacations in boarding houses spread over various mountainous areas of Lebanon.
In an interview with L’Orient-Le Jour, the French-language newspaper in Beirut in early November, Ghosn said: “I don’t miss anything from my previous life, and today I feel like I have roots in Lebanon, and this has no price”.
Do you want to go into politics?
Despite the allegations, many in Lebanon in political, academic and business circles still regard Ghosn as a “role model” due to his long career in the auto industry, and a role model for Lebanese “creativity” abroad.
Ghosn is often asked about his desire to participate in politics in a country that is witnessing successive crises, an unprecedented economic collapse and a sharp political divide. However, he avoids launching political positions and always shows his willingness to put his practical experience at the service of his country without assuming any political office. He said in a previous statement: “I am not a politician and I am not looking for that.”
Ghosn had seen from the podium of a private Lebanese university for the first time in months, jointly launching customized training programs to support entrepreneurs and startups and develop students’ skills, while Lebanon is witnessing its worst economic crisis.
His life is in a book and a series.
In November, Ghosn published a book entitled “A Time of Truth” that he wrote with French journalist close to Philip Rias, to present his long version of his story, without any self-criticism or revealing new information. He is also participating in a documentary in preparation about his career, which is supposed to become a short series about his life, and he will begin filming next year.
United Nations: Ghosn’s “freedom” was “arbitrary” in Japan
Notably, Ghosn arrived in Beirut late last year, after fleeing Japan, where he was arrested in November 2018 and spent 130 days in prison in two stages. The Japanese judiciary indicted him on four counts, including failing to disclose all of his income, using Nissan money to make payments to personal acquaintances and embezzling company funds for personal use. The total unauthorized amount is more than 9 billion yen ($ 85 million), according to Tokyo.
Later, Japan asked Lebanon to hand over Ghosn to complete his trial. However, the Beirut authorities asked Tokyo to hand over his court file, which has yet to happen.
In a report released on November 20, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention deemed Ghosn’s “private” “liberty” in Japan as “arbitrary.” He considered that the conditions for placing him under house arrest “apparently were exceptionally strict.” The group, made up of independent experts who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations and whose opinions are not binding, considered that “the appropriate solution would be to grant Mr. Ghosn a legally enforceable right to compensation and other remedies, in accordance with the international right”.
Ghosn denies the accusations and speaks of a “conspiracy”
Since his arrest in late 2018 in Japan, Ghosn has spoken of a “conspiracy” against him by some of Nissan executives who feel intimidated by the proposed merger with the Renault company, in “collusion” with the Tokyo prosecutor’s office. He also denied all the allegations during a lengthy press conference he held in Beirut a week after his arrival, accusing the Japanese judiciary of being “biased.”
Ghosn is asking Nissan and Mitsubishi for 15 million euros in compensation for what he considers an arbitrary cancellation of his contract. He also started a legal battle against Renault to obtain important retirement and equity rights.
Ghosn consistently refuses to reveal the details of his extraordinary escape, which has caused widespread shock in Japan and around the world.
A team of investigating judges from the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption, Financial Crimes and Taxation is expected to hear Ghosn from January 18 to 22 in Beirut, as part of two judicial investigations into him in France, according to sources familiar with the the file in Paris.
France 24 / AFP
