The 69-year old, who vowed to clear his name following his elaborate escape from the Japanese justice system, is suing Nissan and others in a case filed in Lebanon.
Tuesday 20 June 2023 17:17, UK
Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chairman who fled financial misconduct charges in Japan, is seeking more than $1bn (£785m) from the carmaker in a lawsuit.
The tycoon, once considered the most powerful automotive industry figure in the world, accused Nissan, along with two
other companies and 12 named individuals, of crimes including defamation, slander, libel and the fabrication of material
evidence.
A hearing in the case, filed in Lebanon, was scheduled for 18 September according to the Reuters news agency.
The lawsuit will be widely seen as something of an attempted fightback by the 69-year-old, who always denied the charges he faced in Tokyo.
He escaped Japan hidden in a box meant for music equipment aboard a private jet in December 2019.
That plane took him to Lebanon, his childhood home, where he has remained ever since.
The two countries have no extradition treaty.
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A US special forces veteran and his son later admitted illegally helping Ghosn flee Japan.
Ghosn, who had been awaiting trial in Japan on charges of under-reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, said he was escaping a „rigged” justice system and that he intended to clear
his name.
In 2021, he lost a claim that he was wrongly dismissed from his role as chairman of the Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.