French investigators question Carlos Ghosn in Lebanon

A team of French investigators began questioning ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn in Beirut on Monday over suspicions of financial misconduct, Lebanese judicial officials said.

meeting marks first opportunity for Ghosn to defend himself against French allegations of financial misconduct since his 2018 bombshell arrest in Japan and escape to Leban a year later.

questioning at Palace of Justice in Beirut — expected to last several days — was attended by members of Lebanese judiciary, officials said.

y said seven French judges, most of m investigative magistrates and a prosecutor, were taking part in questioning, which was attended by Lebanese prosecutor Imad Qabalan.

Ghosn is campaigning to clear his name against multiple legal challenges in France after Japanese accusations triggered scrutiny of his activities re.

In a wide ranging interview with AP last week, he said he hopes visit by French investigators to Leban will be his first real opportunity to defend himself.

He also said he had much more confidence in French legal system than Japanese system he had fled.

Ghosn has t so far been charged with anything in France, but could be, given preliminary charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, misuse of company assets, or aggravated breach of trust.

He told AP he has done thing wrong and hopes investigations are eventually dropped.

Ghosn was arrested in Japan in vember 2018 on accusations of financial misconduct and was kept in solitary confinement for months without being allowed to speak with his wife.

He fled to Leban a year later in a Hollywood-style escape that stunned world. Meanwhile, several associates are in jail or on trial in Japan and Turkey, in cases related to his financial activities or escape.