Carlos Ghosn reveals new secrets about the "Great Escape" from Japan

Carlos Ghosn first gave details of his escape from Japan, while awaiting trial for financial misconduct, in an interview with the BBC, the former head of Nissan confirmed reports that he was smuggled out of Japan while out on bail in December 2019 inside a box used to store musical equipment. before arriving in Lebanon.

“The plane was scheduled to take off at 11 p.m.,” Ghosn said, recalling the time he spent inside the box at an airport in western Japan waiting to board a private plane and escape a court system he claimed was wrongfully guilty of a crime that included concealment of income and abuse. Use of company funds.

“30 minutes of waiting in the box on the plane, waiting for it to take off, was probably the longest waiting period of my life,” Ghosn said. He was hidden inside the box for about an hour and a half, adding that it felt like “a year and a half.”

The fugitive also spoke of the joy he felt when he arrived in his native Lebanon, which does not have an extradition agreement with Japan, and said, "The excitement was that I would finally be able to tell the story."

Ghosn's criticism of his treatment in Japan after his arrest in late 2018 has triggered unprecedented scrutiny of the country's criminal justice system, where prosecutors can detain suspects for long periods and more than 99% of criminal cases end with convictions.

Ghosn spent long periods in custody in a Tokyo detention center before being released on bail for a second time several months before his escape and was facing 15 years in prison if convicted.

He said of the day of his escape, "The plan was that I couldn't show my face, so I had to hide somewhere and the only way I could hide was to be in a box or in a luggage so no one could see me, no one could recognize me and could For the plan to work."

Ghosn has faced criticism for choosing not to defend himself in court, while one of his former colleagues stands trial in Japan with two men accused of masterminding his escape from justice.

According to the report, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan CEO who was close to Ghosn, faces imprisonment if he is convicted of helping his former boss not report his tens of millions of dollars in income. Kelly has denied the charges and a verdict is expected later this year.

Michael and Peter Taylor, the American father and son who transported Ghosn from a hotel to the airport on the day of his escape, also face nearly three years in prison for helping him escape.