Carlos Ghosn Defends Himself, Blasts Japanese Prosecutors, Nissan, In Rambling Press Conference In Beirut

In his first public appearance following his dramatic escape from Japan, former Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn told a packed news conference in Beirut the criminal charges against him were false.

"Allegations are untrue and I should have never been arrested in the first place. I am here to clear my name," he said.

Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November 2018 for alleged financial misconduct, including understating his compensation and illegally transferring funds from the company to his personal account.

At Wednesday’s press conference he blasted his former company and the Japanese legal system.

"I was presumed guilty before the eyes of the world and subject to a system whose only objective is to coerce confessions, secure guilty pleas, without regard for the truth," he said. "I have come to learn that my unimaginable ordeal over the last 14 months is the result of the handful of unscrupulous, vindictive individuals at Nissan.”

After his arrest, Ghosn claimed he was interrogated by authorities for up to eight hours per day and not permitted to have lawyers present.

Ghosn alleged Japanese prosecutors told him: “It will be over if you just confess. If you don’t confess, not only are we going to go after you, we are going to go after your family.”

Ghosn said while he was incarcerated in Japan he was confined to a cell with a small window and only permitted to shower twice a week. He also said he endured 130 days in solitary confinement in a windowless cell.

"I was brutally taken from my work as I knew it, ripped from my work, my family and my friends,” he said.

“I have not experienced a moment of freedom since Nov. 19, 2018,” he told reporters. “It is impossible to express the depth of the aggravation and my profound appreciation once again to be able to be reunited with my family and loved ones.”

Ghosn explained why he had to flee Japan.

“It was the most difficult decision of my life,” he said of his escape. “I did not escape justice. I fled injustice and political persecution. I was left with no other choice but to protect myself and my family.”

Ghosn said Nissan conspired with Japanese prosecutors to arrest him.

“The collusion between Nissan and the prosecutor is everywhere,” he said.

Ghosn said the “plot” devised against him arose because of Nissan’s declining performance in early 2017. He blamed former CEO Hiroto Saikawa for that underperformance.

“Some of our Japanese friends thought the only way to get rid of the influence of [French automaker and partner] Renault on Nissan is to get rid of me,” Ghosn said. “Unfortunately, they were right.”

He then alleged the charge of underreporting one’s income is not punishable by imprisonment.

“There is no democratic country I know where you go to jail for these kinds of accusations, even if they were right,” he said.

Ghosn produced a letter signed by Saikawa that allegedly approved the payments to his personal account.

Ghosn even used bigoted rhetoric by comparing his treatment in Japan to the surprise attack on U.S. forces in 1941.

“Did you notice Pearl Harbor?” he said

He also noted Japanese courts have a 99.4% conviction rate and described its justice system as one that is “indifferent to the truth, indifferent to fairness and process, indifferent to fundamental civil liberties and justice.”

However, Ghosn refused to reveal details of how he departed Japan.

"I’m not here to talk about how I managed to leave Japan, although I can understand that you are interested. I’m here to talk about why I left. For the first time since this nightmare began I can defend myself," he said.

Ghosn also commended fellow auto executive Greg Kelly, who is still languishing in Japan facing similar charges.

"While my plight has captured the headlines, we and you cannot forget Greg’s ordeal. He’s being punished precisely because he is honorable," said Ghosn. "Greg remains a victim of the hostile Japanese justice system with no trial date in sight.”

Further, Ghosn described how poorly his former companies have fared without him.

“By the way, the market cap decrease of Nissan is more than $10 billion,” he said. “By the way Renault is not better. The market cap of Renault went down by more than $5 billion. As a shareholder of Nissan, I say, 'Who is protecting me?'”

Ghosn repeatedly asserted how much he likes Japan and the local people, and that he was unfairly castigated by the Japanese press.

"Why am I being treated like a terrorist in Japan? Like I am going to hurt people? What did I do to deserve this?" he ssked.

"Obviously I don’t consider myself a prisoner in Lebanon," he said. "I’m happy to be here. I’m with my friends, my family. I don’t feel at all unhappy. I’m ready to stay a long time in Lebanon."

Oddly, Ghosn said that while he does not expect a fair trial, he is open to placing himself in a legal venue elsewhere to prove his innocence.

"I have to clear my name," he said. "This is something important to me. I can’t accept the fact that fabricating a story and lying about something on such a scale can win."

He added that he does not think Lebanon will extradite him to Japan.

"Here [in Lebanon], I’m confident existing practices and laws will be respected," he said.

The New York Times reported Ghosn was helped in his escape by Michael Taylor, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces who accompanied him on the airplane from Japan to Turkey, his first stop before taking another aircraft to Lebanon.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japanese prosecutors raided the offices Ghosn’s lawyers. However, Junichiro Hironaka, Ghosn’s top attorney in Tokyo, said his legal team prevented authorities from confiscating two computers Ghosn had used.

“This is related to personal confidentiality,” Hironaka said. “Therefore, there is an evident case to refuse seizure.”

Carlos Ghosn’s wife, Carole, who was charged with perjury in Japan, also attended the Beiture news conference in Beirut. Carole holds dual citizenship in Lebanon and the U.S. raising the possibility that she could potentially be returned to Japan since Washington has an extradition treaty with Tokyo.

“The United States is not really in a position to help because she is not here,” said Joshua Dratel, a New York criminal defense lawyer. “It’s really up to Lebanon as to what to do. If she were to leave, she would be in jeopardy as a U.S. citizen.”

The Japanese ambassador to Lebanon Takeshi Okubi said Ghosn’s escape “can never be overlooked by the government of Japan.”