Exclusive: Lebanon’s Ambassador to Japan denies his embassy helped Carlos Ghosn escape

Exclusive: Lebanon’s Ambassador to Japan denies his embassy helped Carlos Ghosn escape

Thu, 2020-01-02 15:26

The Lebanese Ambassador to Japan has strongly denied his embassy was involved in the dramatic escape of Carlos Ghosn in an exclusive statement to Arab News Japan, after widespread accusations in the media.

The fugitive former Nissan boss made global headlines with his Hollywood-esque escape from Japan, after somehow slipping past immigration authorities and checkpoints to fly out in a cargo plane to Turkey and finally arriving on New Year's Eve in Lebanon via private jet.

An arrest warrant for Ghosn was issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Thursday, according to a Lebanese judicial source.

Lebanon's ambassador to Japan, Nidal Yehya, issued a statement to Arab News Japan on Thursday saying: "The Lebanese Embassy in Tokyo is keen to inform Japanese public opinion that the Lebanese embassy had absolutely no relationship or interference with how Carlos Ghosn got out of Japan, and his violation of the conditions for his release on bail.

"Rather, the Embassy has always stressed to him that he must abide by all the conditions of his release, as decided by the Criminal Court in Tokyo, in order to ensure his health and to ensure the proper preparation of the defence for the cases brought against