The Japanese authorities said the reason they issued an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn is the false testimony given by her regarding her husband, Carlos Ghosn. In a written statement, they said Mrs. Ghosn had testified in April that she did not know a person who was involved in Mr. Ghosn’s case, even though she was in communication with that person while the person was wiring money between companies at Mr. Ghosn’s request.
Mrs. Ghosn has been a vocal defender of her husband. Japanese officials prompted Interpol, the international criminal information clearinghouse, to issue what is known as a red notice, which is issued internationally for individuals wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. But red notices essentially function as a diplomatic request for help, not as an international arrest warrant, and they do not obligate governments to comply. Putting Mrs. Ghosn in custody if she travels to the United States is no sure thing, either.
Mr. Ghosn, the architect of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi auto empire is facing charges of financial wrongdoing in Japan. He fled the country on Dec. 29 and reappeared in Lebanon. Mr. Ghosn is a Lebanese national, and Lebnan does not extradite its citizens. Carole Ghosn is an American passport holder and, unlikely her husband, she could potentially be made subject to an extradition request between Japan and the United States.
Local media reported last week that Ghosn had been caught on a security camera leaving his Tokyo home by himself at around noon on 29 December.
The exact circumstances of his flight from Japan remain shrouded in mystery. The justice ministry said it did not have a record of Ghosn’s leaving Japan. “It is believed that he used some wrongful methods to illegally leave the country,” the justice minister, MasakoMori, said during a press conference on Monday. “I have instructed the immigration agency to further tighten the departure process,” she added.
Ghosn, who has French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationalities and he was able to enter Lebanon on a French passport, according to the airport authorities provided to the media.
Several reports claim that Ghosn was loaded on to the flight from Osaka in a large audio equipment case, which was later found at the back of the cabin unnamed sources has mentioned claiming to be close to the investigation in Turkey as saying that holes had been drilled into the bottom of the container to ensure the businessman could breathe.
Japan’s transport ministry told our reporter that luggage checks were not mandatory for private jets.
“Operators of private jets decide if luggage checks are necessary or not while airline operators are obliged to conduct security checks under Japan’s aviation law,” a ministry official said.
Japan has launched an investigation into the humiliating security lapse, with prosecutors saying they would “coordinate with the relevant agencies to swiftly and appropriately investigate the matter”.
