Turkey probes how Nissan chief Ghosn fled via Istanbul

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 Thursday. NTV television said a number of suspects have been detained as part of the investigation launched by Turkey's Interior Ministry but did not elaborate.

Ghosn fled to Lebanon this week before his trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges. Turkish media reports said he flew to Lebanon on a private jet via Istanbul. Lebanon has said that Ghosn entered the country legally and there was no reason to take action against him. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon.

Ghosn, who was charged with under-reporting his future compensation and a breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence. He says Japanese authorities trumped up the charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA. His 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail that Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.