Published 17:32 IST, January 7th 2020
Tokyo Court issues arrest warrant for ex-Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn's wife
Tokyo has issued an arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn's wife for perjury. Carole Ghosn who has been a vocal supporter of Carlos's innocence is suspected of lying.
Japanese authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn's wife for perjury, according to media reports. Carole Ghosn who has been a vocal supporter of Carlos's innocence is suspected of lying during her testimony to the Tokyo District Court last year in April, as per reports. The details of the allegations against her have not been made immediately available.
Fled the country
Carole Ghosn is believed to have reunited with her husband in Lebanon. Carlos had been freed on bail under strict conditions. Prosecutors in the trial had argued that Carlos Ghosn posed a flight risk. The conditions on his bail also included restrictions on contact with his wife.
The carmaker Nissan who has vowed to prosecute its former chairman over his allegations of serious misconduct has expressed its extreme regret on Tuesday regarding Carlos Ghosn. The carmaker in a statement said that it had concrete evidence of various acts of misconduct by its former boss. Nissan also added that even with Ghosn's escape, it will continue to take appropriate legal action in order to have Ghosn pay for the damages it has caused Nissan.
The 65-year-old former Nissan boss has repeatedly denied the charges levelled against him and has claimed that he decided to flee because he did not expect to receive a fair trial. In addition, Carlos also reportedly said that these charges against him were fabricated by former colleagues that were opposed to his plans to strengthen the alliance between Nissan and carmaker Renault. Ghosn's flight to Lebanon will not affect Nissan's basic policy for holding him accountable for his actions.
Earlier Ghosn reportedly escaped Japan via the Kansai Airport in Osaka. He was believed to be hidden inside a musical equipment box as was brought aboard a private jet and flown first to Turkey and then to Lebanon. Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori said Japan would tighten border control precautions to prevent a recurrence, but did not confirm the details of his escape. Ghosn managed to skip bail and leave the country despite heavy surveillance while he was staying at a home in Tokyo. Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty.
Experts have said it would be difficult to bring Ghosn back to stand trial in Tokyo. And Turkish authorities are investigating possible security flaws that allowed former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to skip bail in Japan and flee to Lebanon via Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Thursday. NTV television said a number of suspects have been detained as part of the investigation launched by Turkey's Interior Ministry but does not elaborate.
Updated 17:32 IST, January 7th 2020