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| Japan issues arrest warrant for Ghosn’s wife, as war of words intensifies | Japan issues arrest warrant for Ghosn’s wife, as war of words intensifies |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn's wife on Tuesday on suspicion of perjury, even as Nissan said it would continue to take legal action to hold its former boss accountable for "serious misconduct." | TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn's wife on Tuesday on suspicion of perjury, even as Nissan said it would continue to take legal action to hold its former boss accountable for "serious misconduct." |
| The war of words is intensifying a little over a week after Ghosn stunned the world by jumping bail and escaping Japan to take refuge in Lebanon, and ahead of an eagerly anticipated news conference Ghosn plans to hold on Wednesday in Beirut. | |
| The flamboyant former auto executive told Fox Business that he has “actual evidence” that his arrest was part of a government-backed coup to “take him out” because of his plans to merge alliance partners Nissan and Renault, and he threatened to use the news conference to “name names.” | |
| Meanwhile, more details of Ghosn’s dramatic escape continue to trickle out, with Japanese surveillance footage showing Ghosn left his house around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, met two non-Japanese men and then took a bullet train to Osaka in the west of the country, according to the Nikkei Asian Review. | |
| Ghosn’s mounting despair at Japanese justice may have persuaded him to flee | Ghosn’s mounting despair at Japanese justice may have persuaded him to flee |
| From there, they went to a luxury hotel, before heading to Kansai International Airport, where Ghosn slipped past airport security inside a case meant for audio equipment that was reportedly too big for the X-ray machine. | From there, they went to a luxury hotel, before heading to Kansai International Airport, where Ghosn slipped past airport security inside a case meant for audio equipment that was reportedly too big for the X-ray machine. |
| Japan’s Justice Ministry has ordered immigration authorities to tighten up departure procedures, while the Transport Ministry said inspections of large baggage were now mandatory at private jet facilities at the country’s major airports. | |
| On Tuesday, the ministry said enabling a criminal to escape could constitute a crime, with a senior official who was not authorized to be named saying only that investigations were continuing. | On Tuesday, the ministry said enabling a criminal to escape could constitute a crime, with a senior official who was not authorized to be named saying only that investigations were continuing. |
| Tokyo prosecutors accused Ghosn’s wife, Carole, of perjury when she was questioned on one of the charges facing Ghosn: that he embezzled from the company by funneling its money through a subsidiary and a car dealership into one of his personal accounts. | Tokyo prosecutors accused Ghosn’s wife, Carole, of perjury when she was questioned on one of the charges facing Ghosn: that he embezzled from the company by funneling its money through a subsidiary and a car dealership into one of his personal accounts. |
| Prosecutors said Carole Ghosn had lied about not knowing or meeting a key person involved in the illegal money transfer, when messages proved the opposite. | |
| A spokeswoman for Carole Ghosn called the arrest warrant “pathetic,” Reuters reported, noting that Carlos Ghosn was rearrested in Japan shortly after announcing plans to hold a news conference there. | |
| “Last time Carlos Ghosn announced a news conference and got rearrested. This time, the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time, they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn,” the spokeswoman told Reuters in Beirut. | “Last time Carlos Ghosn announced a news conference and got rearrested. This time, the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time, they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn,” the spokeswoman told Reuters in Beirut. |
| Tokyo prosecutors have even less chance of extraditing Carole Ghosn to face a charge of perjury than they do of extraditing her husband. Lebanon has already pointed out that it has no extradition treaty with Japan. | |
| Nissan also struck a rhetorical blow with a statement vowing to take appropriate legal action “to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused” to the company. | Nissan also struck a rhetorical blow with a statement vowing to take appropriate legal action “to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused” to the company. |
| “Nissan discovered numerous acts of misconduct by Ghosn through a robust, thorough internal investigation,” it said in a statement, citing “incontrovertible evidence” of various acts including the misstatement of his compensation and “misappropriation of the company’s assets for his personal benefit.” | |
| The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also concluded that Ghosn’s conduct, including his schemes to underreport his compensation, was “fraudulent,” Nissan noted, while investigations in France concerning possible misconduct are ongoing. | |
| The SEC settled fraud charges in September against Nissan, Ghosn and the company’s former director Greg Kelly for failing to disclose $140 million to be paid to Ghosn in retirement. | |
| Ghosn and Kelly, an American citizen who is on bail and awaiting trial in Japan, went to “great lengths” to conceal the compensation from markets and investors, while Nissan’s disclosures were false and advanced Ghosn and Kelly’s deceptions, the SEC concluded. | Ghosn and Kelly, an American citizen who is on bail and awaiting trial in Japan, went to “great lengths” to conceal the compensation from markets and investors, while Nissan’s disclosures were false and advanced Ghosn and Kelly’s deceptions, the SEC concluded. |
| Akiko Kashiwagi contributed to this report. | Akiko Kashiwagi contributed to this report. |
| Carlos Ghosn walked out of his home alone, security camera footage shows | Carlos Ghosn walked out of his home alone, security camera footage shows |
| Ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flees to Lebanon, slams Japan’s justice system | Ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flees to Lebanon, slams Japan’s justice system |
| Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world | Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world |
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