Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan who was facing charges of financial wrongdoing in Japan, has left the country, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
Ghosn is in Beirut, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was private.
He was arrested in November 2018, and accused of underreporting his compensation and shifting personal financial losses to Nissan. He has denied the charges.
Ghosn has been in and out of jail in Japan since his arrest, when he was initially held for more than 100 days. He was released after he posted bail of $9 million and agreed to strict conditions: He could not leave Tokyo, and his movements would be monitored. He was arrested again in April 2019, just after he announced plans to hold a news conference and speak publicly about his case.
In this May 11, 2012, file photo, then Nissan Motor Co. President and CEO Carlos Ghosn speak during a press conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo. A close friend says Monday, Dec. 30, 2019 that Ghosn, who is awaiting trial in Japan, has arrived in Beirut. It was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origins, left Japan where he is under surveillance and is expected to face trial in April 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)Prosecutors imposed another condition for his release after the April arrest: Ghosn was forbidden from communicating with his wife, Carole. For seven months, the two did not speak a word to each other.
The case against Ghosn has garnered international attention and raised questions about the fairness of Japan’s justice system. Lawyers for the former executive say they have been unable to see reams of information Japanese prosecutors gathered from Nissan to build their case against Ghosn. Prosecutors, in turn, have argued that they are prevented from sharing some of the material the company gave them because it is “too sensitive.” The dispute over disclosure duties is pending before Japan’s highest court.
Ghosn was the architect of Nissan’s alliance with Mitsubishi Motors of Japan and Renault of France. Since his arrest, he has been removed as chairman of all three companies.