This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
Arrest Warrant Issued for Carole Ghosn in Japan ¶
Prosecutors in Japan have obtained an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn, the wife of former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, on suspicion of making false statements during her April testimony.
According to a statement from prosecutors, the warrant was issued on January 7, 2020, as part of the ongoing investigation into Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan.
Carlos Ghosn had been facing trial in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, which he denies, before fleeing the country in late December for Lebanon, where he was reunited with his wife.
Carole Ghosn had been vocal in her support for her husband, insisting on his innocence and slamming Japanese prosecutors for what she deemed ill-treatment after his shock arrest in November 2018.
She was initially prevented from seeing her husband, who was held in detention for more than 100 days after his arrest, and petitioned everyone from French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House in seeking his release.
Carlos Ghosn, a globe-trotting auto mogul, accuses executives at Japanese automaker Nissan of manufacturing the allegations against him in a 'plot' to prevent closer integration with alliance partner Renault.
Japanese authorities are still piecing together how Ghosn was able to evade surveillance and airport security, with snippets suggesting he was aided by a security expert and took advantage of loopholes in security at Japan's Kansai airport.
He appears to have left his residence in Tokyo, which was monitored by surveillance cameras under his bail conditions, alone, and later met up with two US citizens and boarded a bullet train to Osaka on December 29.
He was then reportedly put into a large box with holes drilled into it to ensure he could breathe and loaded onto a private jet that flew to Istanbul, where he boarded a second private jet that took him to Lebanon.
Under his bail conditions, his French, Lebanese, and Brazilian passports were confiscated and held by his lawyers, but he was allowed to retain a second French passport in a locked case with the key held by his lawyers.
Interpol has issued a 'red notice' for Carlos Ghosn's arrest, but Beirut and Tokyo do not have an extradition treaty.
It remains to be seen whether a similar notice will be issued for Carole Ghosn.
