Ghosn Could Face More Serious Trouble in Lebanon

Lawyers accuse him of collaborating with the enemy, Israel
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2020 9:30 AM CST
Ghosn Could Face More Serious Trouble in Lebanon
A private security guard stands nearby as a woman walks her dog past the house of ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday.   (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Lebanon might not be the safe haven Japan's most high-profile criminal defendant sought. A group of lawyers has filed a complaint with the country's judiciary, claiming Carlos Ghosn—a citizen of France, Lebanon, and Brazil—violated a law against collaborating with the enemy when he formerly visited Israel, Lebanon's longtime foe. The Washington Post reports the crime is "potentially more serious" than the charges of financial wrongdoing the former Nissan chairman faced before fleeing Japan and carries a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years. The visits were reportedly made in a business capacity, and decade-old pictures are said to show him meeting with Israeli bigwigs. Those visits would be outside the statute of limitations, so officials are said to be looking into whether he more recently traveled there.

Meanwhile, prosecutors raided Ghosn's Tokyo home on Thursday in the hope of learning details of his escape, as Turkey announced it had detained four pilots, two employees of a private ground handling company, and the operations manager of a private cargo company. Turkey-based MNG Jet also announced a criminal complaint against an unidentified employee who it claims admitted to removing Ghosn's name from records for two flights booked by different people, per the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Surveillance video reportedly shows Ghosn leaving his Tokyo home alone on Sunday. It's thought he boarded a Bombardier business jet that departed Kansai International Airport near Osaka. The Times notes it's unclear how the closely monitored Ghosn managed to to get there, as Osaka is some 300 miles away. (Ghosn says he planned the escape on his own.)

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