Carlos Ghosn met Lebanese president after fleeing Japan: Sources
Fugitive former Nissan chairman CarlosGhosnmetLebanon'spresidentafterfleeingfromJapan, where he was smuggled out of house arrest by a private security company, twosourcesclose toGhosnsaid on Wednesday.
Also Watch:'The Great Escape' of Carlos Ghosn
One of thesourcessaidGhosnwas greeted warmly byPresidentMichel Aoun on Mondayafterflying into Beirut via Istanbul and was now in a buoyant and combative mood and felt secure.
The plan to slipGhosnout ofJapan, which marked the latest twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, was crafted over three months, the twosourcessaid.
"It was a very professional operation from start to finish," one of them said.
In his meeting at the presidency,Ghosnthanked Aoun for the support he had given him and his wife Carole while he was in detention, thesourcessaid. He now needs the protection and security of his governmentafterfleeingJapan, thesourcesadded.
The meeting between Aoun andGhosnhas not been made public and a media adviser to thepresident's office denied the two men hadmet. The twosourcessaid specifics of the meeting were described to them byGhosn.
Ghosncould not be reached for comment on the meeting and has been silent publicly other than to issue a written statement shortlyafterhis arrival saying he had "escaped injustice and political persecution."
Lebaneseofficials have said there would be no need to take legal measures againstGhosnbecause he entered the country legally on a French passport, althoughGhosn's French,Lebaneseand Brazilian passports are with lawyers inJapan.
The French andLebaneseforeign ministries have said they were unaware of the circumstances of his journey.
Lebanon has no extradition agreement withJapan.
Ghosnwas first arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and faces four charges,which he denies,including hiding income and enriching himself through payments to car dealerships in the Middle East.
He has enjoyed an outpouring of support from Lebanon since his 2018 arrest, with billboards proclaiming, "We are all CarlosGhosn" erected in solidarity with his case.
Under the terms of his bail, he had been confined to his house in Tokyo and had to have cameras installed at the entrance. He was prevented from communicating with his wife, Carole, and had his use of the internet and other communications curtailed.
Thesourcessaid theLebaneseambassador toJapanhad visited him daily while he was in detention.
While someLebanesemedia have floated a Houdini-like account ofGhosnbeing packed in a wooden container for musical instrumentsaftera private concert in his home, his wife called the account "fiction".
She declined to provide details of the exit of one of the most recognised titans of industry. The accounts of the twosourcessuggest a carefully planned escape known only to a few.
They said a private security firm oversaw the plan, which involved shuttlingGhosnout via a private jet to Istanbul before pushing onward to Beirut, with even the pilot unaware ofGhosn's presence on board.
An attorney forGhosnsaid he would hold a news conference in Beirut on January8. Thesourcesclose toGhosn, however, said a date for the news conference had yet to be finalised. They saidGhosnwas unwilling to share details of his escape so as not to jeopardise those who aided him inJapan.
He is staying at the home of a relative of his wife, but plans to return soon to a gated villa in the upscale Beirut neighbourhood of Achrafieh, one of thesourcessaid.
Nissan sackedGhosnas chairman, saying internal investigations revealed misconduct including understating his salary while he was its chief executive, and transferring $5 million of Nissan funds to an account in which he had an interest.
In Lebanon,Ghosnis considered a poster boy for success in a country where rampant unemployment pushes youngLebaneseabroad to find work and the economy relies heavily on remittances amid a deep financial crisis that has sparked a wave of protests.
Ghosnwas born in Brazil ofLebanesedescent and lived in Lebanon as a child. He oversaw a turnaround at French carmaker Renault that won him the nickname "Le Cost Killer" and used similarmethods to revive Nissan.