Carlos Ghosn, the fugitive auto magnate, said he wanted to be tried in a country he considered more neutral than Japan, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – July 19, 2021 \u2013 Entrepreneurs<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ghosn, who fled Tokyo 18 months ago, said: \u201cI think the end of it should be a trial, but a trial is taking place in a country that has no interest in what is being prosecuted. The only thing I ask is that the jurisdiction be fair and impartial and not be politically motivated. That’s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the context of a wide-ranging interview, the former head of the Japanese company Nissan and French Renault spoke about how the French government “abandoned” him after it “surrendered” to Japan. His advice on how Lebanon – where it is currently seeking asylum from the application of international law – can emerge from its dire economic and political crisis. And his views on the Vision 2030 reform strategy in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a conversation on his “Speak Frankly” series of video interviews with top policymakers and entrepreneurs, he also provided his view on the fierce rivalry between Nissan <\/a>and Toyota in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Ghosn’s most brutal criticism of the Japanese legal system, after his arrest and imprisonment for financial misconduct at Nissan Motor Co., where he was chairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carlos Ghosn arrives for a pre-trial hearing at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo, June 24, 2019 (Kazuhiro Nogi\/AFP file)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProsecutors have won 99.4 percent of the time, which is unheard and unseen, quite frankly. Even though I have been living in Japan for 18 years, I have never doubted this kind of outcome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut after going through the system and seeing the kind of intimidation \u2013 confession-seeking, pressure, human rights abuse, and so on \u2013 I am even amazed that they only get 99.4 percent of the confessions. I wonder how the other 0.6 percent were able to resist when you look at the arsenal of arguments and things they have set against you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the Japanese justice system has been described by the United Nations as “hostage justice,” adding, “I am ready to go to Japan on the day they change the ‘hostage justice’ system.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said he “felt bad” for the people on trial in Japan<\/a>, including his former lawyer, Greg Kelly. \u201cI was fortunate to be able to get out before the systems closed me down because God knows how many years, but I feel bad for Greg Kelly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japanese prosecutors have charged Ghosn with a variety of financial crimes, including inflating his salary, but he said his pay has been agreed upon by Nissan’s board on several occasions. \u201cI concluded from this that they were happy, especially knowing that the dividend was paid, the company was growing, and the company was profitable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carlos Ghosn, CEO of French car company Renault, arrived on February 17, 2016, at the French National Assembly, before addressing the economic and financial committees during a hearing. (AFP file)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ghosn – a French national with dual Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship – was also critical of the actions of President Emmanuel Macron’s government, which appeared to want to placate Tokyo over the future of the Nissan-Renault alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Instead of somehow getting good support, I was abandoned, after two or three weeks of apparent conflict between France and Japan,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut then the French gave in, and they said it very clearly – you know we want to maintain the good relationship between Japan and France, we want to maintain the good relationship between Nissan and Renault, and we are confident that Japanese justice will solve this problem with Carlos Ghosn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ghosn has been living in Lebanon since December 2019 with his wife Carol and is subject to a “red notice” from Interpol at the request of the Japanese government. Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lebanon <\/a>asked Japan to transfer the accusations and charges so that they can investigate them and eventually prosecute me in Lebanon. But Japan refused to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although there was no \u201cchance\u201d to be directly involved in Lebanese politics, including considering any offer to become the next president, Ghosn said he was aware of the \u201cmisery that is inflicting on the country due to the financial collapse, and economic stagnation with everyone.\u201d its social consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHaving upended so many companies, I know from practice that whatever solution you offer when you have to change direction for a company or a country, five percent is the strategy, and 95 percent is the implementation,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, in a way, those who are going to save the country are those who are in power and put in power by the Lebanese people, because frankly, the exit methods and strategy are very simple, and it has been (tried) in many countries (and) many companies<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also presented his view on the Vision 2030 reform strategy in Saudi Arabia. \u201cI think that makes a lot of sense \u2014 shifting a country from over-reliance on two resources, to different sources of revenue, different sources of income, different types of activity for employment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ghosn warned that the challenge facing Saudi decision-makers lies in implementing that strategy. \u201cThe success of this depends on how disciplined it is \u2013 implementation, how focused (it will be), the people responsible for delivering that, and how seriously they collect the maximum level of talent to transform the reality of Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saudi Arabia is a very rich country. It makes use of a lot of resources, but I think those in charge of the state know that it won’t last forever. So, in my opinion, they are doing the right thing and I hope it will be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n