London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 22, 2026

Fugitive ex-Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn says he fled Japan to escape 'injustice'

Carlos Ghosn, the ousted chairman of Japanese automaker Nissan, said in a statement on Tuesday that he’s left Japan and is now in Lebanon.

Ghosn was awaiting trial on criminal charges in Japan.

Ghosn entered Lebanon legally and will not face any legal consequences, Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security said on Tuesday, according to the state news agency NNA.

Under house arrest and 24-hour surveillance, ousted Nissan chairman became an international fugitive when he reportedly hid inside a large musical instrument case Sunday and smuggled himself out of Japan to flee criminal prosecution there.

Ghosn’s wife, Carole, whom he hasn’t seen since his arrest more than a year ago, orchestrated his dramatic escape, according to The Guardian. He was aided by a band of Gregorian musicians, who were hired to perform at a dinner party at his home in Tokyo, and a team of former special forces officers, the paper reported, citing Lebanese TV news channel MTV for some of the details.

After the performance, Ghosn tucked himself inside one of the cases, which was transported to a small local airport, where a private plane took him to Istanbul, Turkey, the British paper reported. The Guardian said he appears to have boarded a Bombardier Challenger private jet bound for Lebanon, where he arrived before dawn on Monday.

The Brazil-born auto titan was raised in Beirut and is a citizen of Brazil, France and Lebanon. As a citizen, he’s protected from extradition from Lebanon. Local authorities said he legally entered the country and wouldn’t face any repercussions, according to local media reports.

Ghosn was a giant in the auto industry. A dynamic executive credited with turning around the Japanese manufacturer, Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 and charged with multiple financial misdeeds while running Nissan. He and his wife have maintained his innocence and fought for his release from the Japanese justice system over the past year.

“I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week,” Ghosn said in a statement confirming his arrival in Lebanon.

He said he will “no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied, in flagrant disregard of Japan’s legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold.”

Ghosn’s lead attorney in Japan, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters that he was “surprised and baffled” by his client’s escape, the Financial Times reported.

Hironaka said his legal team still held all of Ghosn’s passports and last saw him on Christmas Day with an agreement to meet Jan. 7 to discuss his upcoming trial, according to the Financial Times.

“If this [escape] is true, we have to assume that this is a breach of bail conditions,” Hironaka said. “His act is unforgivable and a betrayal of Japan’s justice system.”

Japan’s Ministry of Justice didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s request for comment on Ghosn’s statement.

Lebanese media said that Ghosn arrived in the country by private jet from Turkey and the newspaper Annahar reported that caretaker State Minister Salim Jreissati said he entered with a French passport, according to Bloomberg.

Financial Times editor Lionel Barber tweeted on Tuesday that “Beirut sources saying [Ghosn] hid in a box designed for a musical instrument.”


The last time Carole Ghosn saw her husband was the day of his second arrest in April when a team of 20 Japanese prosecutors stormed the couple’s apartment in Tokyo at 5:50 a.m. and hauled him away.

“They checked everything. They took pictures of everything,”

Carole Ghosn later told CNBC in September that the upcoming criminal trial in Japan against her husband shows a “dark side” of the nation and bias against foreign executives.

“I think my husband doesn’t look like is going to get a fair trial, the way they are behaving, the way that they are treating him compared to Japanese like [former Nissan CEO Hiroto] Saikawa.”

The former Nissan chairman was ousted and arrested a little over a year ago after Saikawa, who was CEO at the time, accused him and another executive of a litany of financial misdeeds.

Saikawa abruptly resigned in September after an internal investigation found that he also allegedly pocketed excess pay. Nissan accused Ghosn and former Director Greg Kelly of concealing more than $327 million in payments to themselves and other executives -$187 million in nondisclosed compensation and $140 million in improper expenditures, according to a five-page summary of Nissan’s internal investigation released in September.

Ghosn was subsequently removed from his positions at French automaker Renault and the fragile Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance.

Saikawa was allowed to resign in September after an internal investigation found that he received improper payments that weren’t disclosed to shareholders.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Northern Ireland Secures Additional Infrastructure Funding From UK Treasury
Wales Approves Port Investment Plans to Support Green Energy Supply Chains
UK Financial Regulator Simplifies Stock Market Rules to Attract More Listings
UK Reports Decline in Small Boat Crossings Across the English Channel
UK Government Creates Emergency Support Fund for Financially Pressured Universities
Scottish Government Launches Economic Strategy Focused on Innovation and Renewable Industries
UK Expands Sustainable Farming Incentives to Support Environmental Measures
UK Government Introduces New Neighbourhood Policing Standards Across England and Wales
UK Competition Regulator Opens Review of Artificial Intelligence Foundation Models
UK Deepens Indo-Pacific Security Cooperation After Talks With Singapore and Japan
UK Announces Rail Modernisation Plan for Northern England With New Infrastructure Funding
UK Government Updates Housing Planning Rules to Accelerate Residential Construction
UK Approves Major North Sea Offshore Wind Project to Support Clean Power Goals
UK Health Service Begins Major Digital Upgrade to Cut Hospital Waiting Times
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates Steady as UK Inflation Pressures Remain Persistent
UK Universities and Industry Expand Space and Defense Research Partnerships
House of Lords Approves Social Housing Bill Amendments on Shared Ownership Rights
House of Lords Advances Civil Aviation Bill With New Passenger Protection Measures
UK Government Suspends Tariffs on Fertilizer and Food Imports to Reduce Costs
Russell Group Universities Support New UK Business Department Focused on Innovation
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Transport Barriers Facing Young Jobseekers
Home Builders Federation Calls for Lower Costs as New UK Government Sets Housing Priorities
Andy Burnham Meets UK Devolved Leaders to Strengthen Regional Cooperation
Andy Burnham Holds First International Calls With Trump, Macron, and Zelenskyy
Andy Burnham Reshuffles Cabinet With John Healey Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer
Andy Burnham Government Removes VAT From Electricity Bills to Cut Household Costs
Andy Burnham Becomes United Kingdom Prime Minister After Sir Keir Starmer Resigns
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
Pentagon Discloses Nearly 100 US Troop Injuries During Renewed Iran Fighting
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
US Judge Pauses Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery Merger Over Antitrust Concerns
NHS England Faces Growing Retention Pressure Among Younger Midwives
UK Data Centre Expansion Faces Water and Grid Capacity Challenges
UK Defence Shares Rise After John Healey Appointment and Continued Spending Commitments
OECD Urges UK Government to Review Pension Triple Lock to Protect Public Finances
Bank of England Keeps Cautious Approach as Energy Costs Threaten Inflation Progress
County Councils Call for Wider Devolution and Long-Term Social Care Funding Reform
IMF Urges UK Government to Maintain Fiscal Discipline as Growth Forecast Slows
Russian Warship Holds Live-Fire Exercises Near UK Coast as Royal Navy Monitors Activity
Mitie Agrees Three Point One Billion Pound Takeover by OCS in Another Blow to London Listings
JPMorgan Chase Warns Bank Levies Could Hit UK Growth and Drive Capital Away
UK Unemployment Holds at Four Point Nine Percent as Labour Market Shows Resilience
UK Government Borrowing Falls Below Forecasts as Treasury Receives Early Fiscal Boost
John Healey Cuts VAT on Household Electricity Bills After Cancelling National Digital ID Scheme
Andy Burnham Forms New Labour Government With Ten-Year National Renewal Plan
EU Imposes Record €550 Million Digital Services Fine on AliExpress
UK Publishes Updated Consumption-Based Carbon Emissions Data
×