Turkish officials have detained seven aviation workers, including four pilots, for questioning in relation to chairman Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan, Turkish officials stated Thursday.
Carlos Ghosn was awaiting a trial in Japan.
The news came as Lebanese officials stated they had received a “Red Notice” from the international policing organization Interpol, calling on them to arrest Ghosn.
It’s not yet clear that how he managed to escape from Japan, but media reports stated that he traveled to Lebanon via Turkey. On Thursday, the Istanbul governor’s office stated in a statement that it had arrested the seven individuals for questioning over this matter.
These arrests included four pilots of a “private airlines company,” the company manager and two ground staff.
Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan has said his country had received the Interpol notice for Ghosn and that the country “will carry out its duties”. Earlier, Lebanese officials had said that he entered the country lawfully.
Red Notices are provided by one country to another through Interpol, which only passes them along and has no power to enforce the demand. “A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant,” Interpol has made it clear on their website.
There have been enough rumors and reports about how Ghosn made his escape. An unverified report from the Lebanese television channel MTV claimed that he had been taken away in a large musical instrument case, possibly for double bass, after a musical band played at his home in Tokyo.
His lawyers stated the allegations were trumped up in a conspiracy among Nissan, government authorities and prosecutors to avoid a fuller merger with Nissan’s alliance partner, Renault SA of France. Ghosn has rejected allegations of financial misconduct.
