Interpol released a wanted notice Thursday for Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail in Japan and escaped to Lebanon and thus avoiding his trial on financial misconduct charges in Japan.
Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan stated in an interview that Lebanon “will carry out its duties,” suggesting for the first time that the businessman may be brought in for questioning. But he has stated that Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, and he appeared to cast doubt on the possibility that his country would hand Ghosn over to Japan.
The Interpol notice is the recent twist in Ghosn’s dramatic escape, which spanned three continents and involved private planes, multiple passports, and international intrigue. Turkey arrested seven people on Thursday as part of an investigation into how Ghosn passed through the country.
Ghosn’s arrival in Lebanon jolted the nation, already in the midst of a crippling political impasse and its worst economic crisis in decades. Lebanon must now think about how to face the Interpol-issued Red Notice, which is a nonbinding request to law enforcement agencies globally that they locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive. A Red Notice is not an arrest warrant and cannot force Lebanon to arrest Ghosn.
Shortly afterward, Ghosn released a statement — his second this week — seeking to keep his Lebanese wife and family away from any role in his escape. “The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organized my departure. My family played no role,” he stated.
The actual circumstances of the escape by the businessman from a court case he said were “rigged” were not clear but media reports described a plot that had all the trappings of a spy novel.
Turkey stated seven people had been arrested for questioning, including four pilots, over how the wanted tycoon could transit through Istanbul.
Turkish private aircraft operator MNG Jet stated Friday that its planes were used unlawfully in Ghosn’s escape from Japan, adding it had submitted a criminal complaint. In a statement, the jet operator stated one of its employees admitted to having misled the records to exclude Ghosn’s name from formal documentation without the company’s knowledge.
