2020 New Year’s Eve drama—Ghosn’s “Harry Houdini-style” escape

As everyone around the world celebrates the arrival of 2020, Ghosn used a "Harry Houdini-style" escape to give the world's melon-eating people the "first melon" to start the year. Fake passports, fake identities, fake bands, fake celebrations... amid media speculation, Ghosn used a series of "fake" operations in exchange for "real" freedom.

From the chief lawyer Toichiro Hironaka’s speechless questioning of “Why did you do this to us?” to the excitement and joy of Ghosn’s family “He is back home”, to the Lebanese Interior Minister Machinok’s “a The tough declaration that the "Lebanese phoenix will not be scorched by the Japanese sun" is sending a signal: Ghosn has created a new legend.

Ghosn’s escape has become a fact, but the process is intriguing. Who helped Ghosn? Is hiding in a cello case a real deal? After Ghosn's escape, is everything really going to be fine?

How did Ghosn escape?

In the currently disclosed escape route of Ghosn, there are three important keywords, namely - French passport, private plane and musical instrument case.

According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) report on January 1, on the evening of December 29, 2019 local time, a private plane bound for Istanbul, Turkey, flew out of Japan from Kansai Airport in Japan. French media had previously reported that after Ghosn left Japan, he first arrived in Turkey and then transferred to Lebanon.

However, Kansai Airport stated that Ghosn’s name was not among the passengers departing the country that day.

The Lebanese side said that Ghosn used his own French passport when entering the country. Therefore, the Japanese police believe that Ghosn forged his identity to leave the country and is suspected of violating the Immigration Control Law.

As for how Ghosn came to Kansai Airport, Japanese news agency Japan News learned after interviewing Ghosn’s friends that Ghosn hid in a musical instrument case. The instrument case was carried by Ghosn's assistants to a truck that had been prepared in advance. The truck then drove from Ghosn's residence in Tokyo to Kansai Airport.

Previously, Lebanese media reported that it was Ghosn’s wife, Carol, who was behind the plan and dispatched a group of mercenaries pretending to be musicians to “rescue” Ghosn from Japan; as well as France Media say Carol organized the mysterious escape with the help of her brother and his connections in Turkey.

Although Ghosn denied that his escape was related to his wife, Reuters quoted a source as saying that Ghosn's "decision to jump bail and escape" was indeed related to Carroll - this source It was said that "Japan's judicial department postponed the trial of the case involving Ghosn" and "strictly restricted contact between Ghosn and his wife" stimulated the former chairman of Nissan Motor Company and made him determined to flee Tokyo.

A meeting

Getting a wife is like Carole Ghosn. This is how netizens ridicule Ghosn’s wife Carol, another key figure in Ghosn’s escape. It is not difficult to see from this joke that Carroll played a crucial role in this escape incident that was talked about by the global media. Some analysts believe that Carroll was the "soul figure" of this carefully planned escape.

According to the New York Times, before Ghosn fled, he had a conversation with his wife Carol that lasted about an hour on December 24, 2019. The content of the conversation is currently unknown. But the industry generally believes that this conversation was the key to Ghosn's eventual escape.

It is understood that on March 6, 2019, Ghosn was released from prison on bail of 1 billion yen (approximately 60 million yuan); on April 4 of the same year, Ghosn was arrested again. Accept pretrial detention. Subsequently, on April 25, the Tokyo District Court approved Ghosn’s bail application again, with the bail set at 500 million yen (approximately 30 million yuan). The Tokyo District Court said that while on bail, Ghosn's movements and communications, as well as contact with his wife, are subject to strict monitoring and restrictions to prevent him from escaping or destroying evidence.

According to the bail regulations, Ghosn surrendered the three French, Brazilian and Lebanese passports he held.

While on bail, the following conditions were imposed on Ghosn: he must live in Tokyo; cannot travel abroad; must return his passport to his lawyers; needs court permission for travel of more than two nights; must install a sign at the entrance to his residence Surveillance cameras; prohibited from accessing the Internet and using email; can only use a personal computer not connected to the Internet in his lawyer's office; prohibited from communicating with parties involved in the case; requires court permission to attend Nissan board meetings; prohibited from contacting Nissan managers .

“There is no sign that Ghosn is preparing to escape.” Hironaka Toichiro said, “Everything shows that Ghosn has been preparing to defend himself in court.” According to Hironaka Toichiro, the Tokyo District Court Ghosn has not been allowed to communicate with his wife for months, and they have spoken only twice since Ghosn was rearrested in April 2019. Perhaps it was that conversation on Christmas Eve that led to the escape that shocked the world.

A Destination

Ghosn, whose ancestral home is in Lebanon, is known as the "Son of Lebanon." In Lebanon, Ghosn is considered a national hero. Because of this, it is natural for Ghosn to choose to return to Lebanon. Most importantly, there is no extradition treaty between Lebanon and Japan, which means that Ghosn will never be extradited back to Japan to stand trial.

According to Japan's "Criminal Procedure Law", if the defendant violates the bail conditions, in addition to the bail measures being canceled, the bail bond will also be confiscated. Since there is no extradition treaty between Lebanon and Japan, unless Ghosn voluntarily returns to Japan again, it will be difficult for the Japanese judicial system to continue to handle the cases against Ghosn.

After Ghosn escaped, Japanese prosecutors announced that they would confiscate the 1.5 billion yen (approximately RMB 97 million) bail that Ghosn had previously paid. At the same time, the Tokyo District Court stated in a statement on its official website that there will be "no adjustments" to the bail conditions prohibiting Ghosn from leaving the country, and that it will carry out judicial cooperation with the Lebanese authorities so that Ghosn can return to Japan for trial as soon as possible.

"It is almost impossible for Ghosn to return to Japan. Returning to Lebanon, Ghosn has gained personal safety and freedom, and it can be said that everything is fine." Auto industry analyst Zhong Shi told the "Daily Economic News" Reporter, the absence of an extradition treaty is a mandatory condition. Even if the Japanese prosecutor makes a request, the Lebanese side can have many reasons to refuse.

It is worth mentioning that the Lebanese government has always respected the "business tycoon" Ghosn for many years. In 2017, Lebanon issued a stamp bearing Ghosn's face. Some Lebanese people even hope that Ghosn can run for president, and Ghosn also said in his hometown speech that the Lebanese government can learn from his case of restructuring Nissan Motor's debt.

After Ghosn was arrested in 2018, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly stated: "Ghosn is a famous Lebanese citizen who represents Lebanon's success story abroad. In this severe test, Lebanon The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will stand by him to ensure that he gets a fair trial."

In December 2018, a Lebanese advertiser erected 18 billboards in the capital Beirut, reading "We are all Ghosn." ” slogan expressed support.

An answer about to be revealed

“Next, Ghosn will fight for his reputation.” Mr. Zhong said that as a business legend, what Ghosn values ??most at this stage is Ghosn will not be resigned to his reputation and credibility, as well as the charges against him.

It is understood that Ghosn will hold a press conference in Lebanon on January 8. "I will no longer be held hostage in a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, basic human rights are denied, and there is a blatant disregard for Japan's legal obligations and treaties that uphold international law," Ghosn said in a statement. "I did not escape justice, I escaped injustice and persecution. I can now finally communicate with the media freely, and I look forward to starting next week," Zhong said.

According to Nissan's statement on Ghosn According to the announcement issued after his arrest, Ghosn's violations included under-recording the amount of remuneration in securities reports, spending investment funds for private purposes, and spending funds for private purposes. The Tokyo District Court held that Ghosn committed a serious breach of trust during his tenure as chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and that he also faced three other charges including falsely reporting income and transferring personal property losses to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. All four charges are denied.

"I am innocent. I deny all the accusations made by the prosecutor against me. I also deny all criticisms and prejudices about 'dictatorship, autocratic' and so on." In a video released by Ghosn through his lawyer , Ghosn said, "The whole incident is a conspiracy. Several senior personnel stabbed a knife in the back for their own interests and their own fears."

"Now Ghosn is working in Nissan, Renault and other car companies. He has been dismissed from his position, and Ghosn’s escape has nothing to do with the car company.” Zhong believes that the Ghosn incident will have an impact on non-Japanese executives who hold positions in Japan in the future, and the Ghosn incident is likely to become a typical example. case.

According to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), affected by the Ghosn incident, Japan’s market regulator may recommend a fine of approximately 2.4 billion yen (approximately US$22 million) against Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. due to its financial misconduct. False statements were made in the statements, which had a significant impact on investors' decision-making.

As of the close of trading on December 31, 2019 Eastern Time, Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY) shares rose 0.22% to close at $11.56 per share.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.