Carlos Ghosn: Japan issues arrest warrant for wife of ousted Nissan boss

Carole Ghosn suspected of perjury relating to husband’s alleged financial misconduct

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained an arrest warrant for the wife of the former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn on suspicion of perjury, adding to the couple’s legal troubles in the country where he once was revered as a star executive.

The move against Carole Ghosn, who is not in Japan, happened on Tuesday and followed her husband’s flight to Lebanon last week while he was on bail awaiting trial for alleged financial misconduct.

Prosecutors said in a statement that Ms Ghosn gave false testimony in her husband’s case to a Tokyo court last year about the transfer of money from one company to another that allegedly caused losses to Nissan.

She also denied knowing various people, or meeting them, and the statements were false, the prosecutors said. The allegations cited were unrelated to Mr Ghosn’s escape.

Ms Ghosn was not immediately available for comment, but earlier told reporters after her questioning in court that she considered the questions to be trite and unsubstantial.

She was banned from meeting her husband after his release on bail because of fears she might help tamper with evidence.

The former chairman fled the country in a private jet (AFP)

Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty. Japanese justice officials acknowledge that it’s unclear whether Mr Ghosn, and now Ms Ghosn – who has been seen in photos, released by his lawyer, with him in Beirut – can be brought back to Japan to face any of the charges. They said they were still looking into what could be done.

Prosecutors have said they did not want Mr Ghosn to be granted bail because they saw him as a flight risk.

“With his abundance of financial power and multiple foreign bases worldwide, it would be easy for the defendant Ghosn to flee from Japan,” they said in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nissan said it was still pursuing legal action against him despite his escape to Lebanon.

The Japanese carmaker said in a statement that Mr Ghosn had engaged in serious misconduct while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance.

“The company will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused to Nissan,” it said.

Japan’s chief government spokesperson said Tokyo had told Lebanon that Mr Ghosn left the country illegally, adding that it was seeking cooperation in finding out what happened. The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said the situation had to be handled carefully.

The Foreign Ministry said Japan’s ambassador to Beirut planned to meet the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, later in the day.

Mr Ghosn managed to flee the country despite surveillance while he was staying at a house in Tokyo.

Japanese news reports on Tuesday gave new details of that escape, saying he left the residence alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel and then took a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet while hidden inside a case for musical equipment.

Japanese justice minister Masako Mori told reporters that measures were being taken to make sure all cargo and luggage, including that for private jets, would be inspected at regional airports​ to prevent a recurrence.

Ms Mori has denounced Mr Ghosn’s escape as an ‘unjustifiable crime’ (AFP)

Japanese business daily Nikkei reported, without citing sources, that dozens of people in various countries had helped to plan Mr Ghosn’s escape.

Nissan’s statement. meanwhile, was the first word from the company since Mr Ghosn fled. The carmaker and Japanese prosecutors allege Mr Ghosn misstated his future compensation and diverted company assets for personal gain. He says he is innocent.

Mr Ghosn has not appeared in public since arriving in Lebanon. He is expected to give his side of the story in a news conference planned for Wednesday in Beirut.

Earlier, he said the allegations against him had been concocted by Nissan, Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block efforts towards a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA.

Journalists gather outside house reportedly belonging to Mr Ghosn in Beirut (AFP)

Mr Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape “injustice”. Critics of the Japanese judicial system say his case exemplifies its tendency to move too slowly and keep suspects in detention too long.

Nissan said an investigation is ongoing in France, and that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has found some wrongdoing. Mr Ghosn has not been charged in France or the US.

Ms Mori and other Japanese officials defended the nation’s judicial system and denounced Mr Ghosn’s escape as an “unjustifiable” crime.

The scandal over the case has tarnished Nissan’s image and created a leadership vacuum at a time when the carmaker’s profits and sales are tumbling. Mr Ghosn’s successor, Hiroto Saikawa, also resigned last year amid financial misconduct allegations related to questionable income.

“Nissan will continue to do the right thing by cooperating with judicial and regulatory authorities wherever necessary,” the Yokohama-based company said.

Although Mr Ghosn is unlikely to face trial in Japan, Greg Kelly, another Nissan former executive, is still facing charges of under-reporting Mr Ghosn’s future compensation. He says he is innocent.

Mr Kelly, an American who is out on bail, has not been charged with the breach of trust allegations Mr Ghosn is also facing.

Nissan has also been charged as a corporate entity. The company says it will not fight the charges and will pay the required fines.

Associated Press