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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Ghosn files $1 billion lawsuit in Lebanon against Nissan over his imprisonment in Japan
By BASSEM MROUE BEIRUT©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
78 Comments
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tora
Good on him. And he should make sure he receives the settlement in USD and not the local currency.
Zack
Good, he should file a lawsuit against media organization (like this one) as well for defamation. I hope justice will prevail.
sakurasuki
He always mentioned from beginning it wasn't about his misconduct but something else bigger than that,
years after his escape, now public can understand what he tried to say.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/30/business/corporate-business/renault-nissan-stake-lower/
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Nissan-Renault-alliance/Renault-CEO-calls-for-more-equal-partnership-with-Nissan
Also what happened with less than one week ago.
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nissan-operations-chief-gupta-leave-company-2023-06-16/
Fighto!
Ghosn - come back to Japan and have your day in court. Otherwise there will always be suspicion over your conduct.
GarlicJoe
Agree
wolfshine
Still simping for the Nippon Kaigi types that want all foreigners in Japan to be broke and miserable, huh?
Carlos Ghosn committed one cardinal sin, which was leading Japanese people as a foreigner in Japan. They may never admit it, but nothing makes Japanese people seethe more than seeing a financially successful individual from a foreign land that they have to report to and take orders from. Because everything has to be done their way.
I wish Mr. Ghosn great success in his efforts.
WiseOneIn Kansai
Ridiculous!!
By running away to Lebanon, he has no credibility whatsoever. He should have manned up and fought in court.
With his status in Japan at the time, he could have gotten a suspended sentence and a slap on the wrist.
After leaving Nissan, he would have been head hunted by numerous car makers overseas to head their operations.
Now hiding in Lebanon, most of his accomplices that helped him escape having been convicted and several Interpol notices for him, he has killed his career goodbye.
You made your own bed and now must lie in it!!!
Meiyouwenti
Even the French authorities no longer buy his account. The guy is desperate. He fears he’s rapidly fading into obscurity in the sun-drenched Lebanon. When his money runs out, so does his luck.
Jay
Good. I hope he gets every penny of that amount. Not that we particularly want to see Ghosn win, but so Nissan lose. They've proven themselves to be an untrustworthy, disingenuous company with gobsmackingly unethical business practices. And they make cr@p cars.
Dango bong
if every executive in Japan went to jail for fudging numbers, they would run out of balding men and actually have to have a few women executives
Mark
Very interesting to say the least, anyone following this saga could have seen this coming.
Mr. Ghosn like any of us will have his day in court and I hope that whatever the outcome will be JUSTICE will be served. Nissan went after him and now he is going after them, it's only fair.
Albert
From the beginning he always mentioned he is innocent but never proofed his innocent. As long he has no trail and conviction he is an innocent man but he is not helping him self by fleeing and Hidding in Lebanon and saying he has not done anything wrong.
koiwaicoffee
In a Japanese court? That would have been not fair, I don't think a Japanese court would be impartial to Ghosn. He spent months in preventive incarceration because he was a foreigner, Japanese big fish never face prison in the same situation.
sakurasuki
Then ask him waiting trial inside Japanese inhumane detention facility? People died in various detention facility across Japan. It's been almost years after his escape and no improvement in Japanese detention facility.
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/diabetic-detainee-dies-in-police-custody-after-not-eating-for-3-days-or-being-given-medication
Michael Machida
I hope he wins.
sakurasuki
In fact French is using him in many way, French using to push French's stake in Nissan. After Ghosn being arrested, French use him as political show. That warrant that issued by French is more politically motivated, last year it was issued just two days before the voting of presidential election, where the issue of social inequality is in the peak between candidates. Again French is using Ghosn to their advantage.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14605558
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/09/national/crime-legal/carlos-ghosn-blames-frances-macron-turning-japan-arrest/
Aly Rustom
Give them HELL Carlos!!
THIS!!! Well said wolf!!
Ditto
Executives only?? How many politicians have misappropriated PUBLIC funds and gotten off scot-free?? Many simply left their posts and retired with a nice severance package like Yoichi Masuzoe??
Exactly.
God's speed man!
sakurasuki
@WiseOneIn Kansai
Then he need to face Japan hostage justice system, with no justice at all?
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/japan-guilty-until-proven-innocent-documentary-shines-light-on-controversial-legal-system
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%BA%E8%B3%AA%E5%8F%B8%E6%B3%95
Mark
I hope that Nissan, it's staff, and Mr. Ghosn will come clean so we the general public will know what really happened, judging by what Nissan did in the early day of Ghosn arrest I believe he deserves his day in court so we can hear his story and NOT what Nissan told us.
Spidey
This.
S
Mark
Watch this on Netflex,
https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20fugitive&jbv=81227167
Titled Fugitive, the curious case of Carlos Ghosn.
William77
I totally agree with you,and let me add that this is also why foreigners with great skills should avoid an outdated and narrow minded place like Japan.
fxgai
It’s very backwards in Japan.
The other day, I was accosted on the footpath by a Japanese couple, who accused me of kicking their dog the previous day.
Fortunately, I was able to convince them of my innocence, but they had acted very threateningly towards me.
The police act the same way, which I also experienced once.
There is no presumption of innocence in Japan. There is presumption of guilt, and very tough cookies for those innocent people who cannot prove it.
There are very good reasons for why the burden of proof is the other way round in first world nations.
GarlicJoe
what you‘re saying is totally nonsense. You seem to have no idea at all. Being a foreigner puts you in this country already in the position of the culprit. Just try it out in daily life, e.g. with a car/ bike accident. You will see that police immediately has the guilty party regardless of real facts. That’s why it is really helpful to have a dash cam. I know several cases where this has happened, especially for foreign women.
I also remember this racial profiling by the Tokyo police in 2021, because only foreigners could catch a covid 19 disease and did not behave accordingly.
This is how working foreigners are treated in a country which loses every year 700,000 citizens and is depending on external work force like no other.
sir_bentley28
He should've filed for a lot more to cut them deeper and cause more "bat hurt"! I'm glad he is taking these steps and I hope other victims do the same! Japan needs to be held accountable for its wrongful imprisonment of people! Both Japanese nationals and foreign residents!
Lindsay
It’s a good thing and I hope he gets it. However, under the Japanese hostage justice system they were quite within their law to do it. At least his suit will bring attention to the farcical Japanese justice system.
antifun
Hope he is able to get the fair trial he was denied in Japan. But all things said and done, what are the odds of a court in Lebanon being able to enforce a defamation charge on Nissan?
Uchujin
Great news!!!
Tokyoite
Come out fighting Carlos!
Time to name names....
Tokyoite
What I want to see is all the process and those that were part of it held up to scrutiny around the world.
I don't care if Ghosn gets a cent financially, but the system that put him (and many others) needs to be opened up for all to see.
sakurasuki
It's poorly created, it doesn't even have interview with Ghosn himself which show lack of fair coverage.
https://decider.com/2022/10/26/fugitive-the-curious-case-of-carlos-ghosn-on-netflix-stream-it-or-skip-it/
Just wait for this one
https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/monk-tony-shalhoub-carlos-ghosn-tv-series-1235563541/
CaptDingleheimer
I think it REALLY rubs some powerful Japanese people the wrong when a gaijin is in charge of a legacy Japanese company. It's an attack on their pride.
It seems like they were out to get him.
Virginia woolf
A typical line. Cant you come up with something better?
sakurasuki
That's not the only of court filling, he opened cases worldwide against his formal employer, evidences he got from one court can be used to another court.
https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/14/fugitive-businessman-carlos-ghosn-demands-15-million-from-renault
Speed
He was being held in jail for over a year before they were even going to give him a trial. I don't blame him for escaping.
Stephen Chin
Wow! What drama! What an interesting story!
What will be the result of his case against Nissan?
I hope Gohsn wins!
Andy
The plot thickens, Hollywood is going to love this saga. Good on you Carlos.
GillislowTier
I mean sure, he definitely deserves to be able to file a lawsuit given the nonsense they put him through. Despite me being pretty sure he did a lot of the stuff charged against him, cause you know, that’s how the rich get and stay rich.
The odd way he was treated and how everything unfolded a “normal” legal system would definitely take Nissan to task over this. I’d be pissed if I was jgov in how this thing put all their inhumane practices in the world view
justasking
Except still blaming him for the woes that gappen to them four years later.
Aly Rustom
My feelings exactly.
xin xin
Poor guy, bringing suit in Lenanon, which has zero legal credibility. Why not China or NK, to win for sure, haha!
Kazuaki Shimazaki
I'm surprised Lebanon's court even agreed to take the case. Are they in the process of throwing it out on jurisdiction grounds? Because even if we accept the premise that what Nissan did is wrongful, they made their accusations in Japan. Would a Lebanese court have jurisdiction over acts made in Japan?
Also, as a matter of policy, you can't go after people reporting possible crimes to the police. Doing so in ANY manner will create a serious chilling effect. Would anyone want to report a big company for possible criminal activity if said big company can countersue the reporter out of his money? The citizen's may not have the obligation, but he has the right to report crimes without fear of such retribution being effective.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
As for Ghosn, his defenders might want to spend a little and buy a book called:
Spoiler: He isn't innocent. But it's only US$14.49 - give it a read and then comment. Thanks.
Marc Lowe
And just like that he is back in the news. I doubt Nissan takes the suit seriously. They'll probably send foreign factory workers to the trial, if they even have one. As much as COVID-19 ruined Japan, at least it got Ghosn and that annoying Swedish girl out of the news. Now that Ghosn is back, Greta will probably follow suit with a lawsuit against Nissan for carbon emissions.
Shimo
I thought I was dreaming. It is real. Battle of the crooks is still on going.
Ghosn should have learned to share some of the compensation with his clans.
With his departure, his clans both in Renault and Nissan are happy to share those fortune with mediocre performance.
Happy Day
Ghosn, you see, is an Elite, and laws meant for little people don’t apply to him. What was Japan thinking filing charges against him?
Mike Donovan
That was fast
Rodney
20 years, rat.
Rodney
one is a world criminal, one is trying to save the world. Go to school. Study hard.
OssanAmerica
Ahaha..pointless action. Ghosn was "imprisoned" (processed and detained to be accurate) in Japan therefore that is the forum of jurisdiction. Of course, he can't go to Japam (or some other countries as well. Even if he wins a judgement in Lebanon it won't be enforcable. What a waste of time and money. Ghosn just trying to stay relevant.
Baradzed
I am just wondering what is the meaning to win a case in a Lebanese court? It might be slightly beneficial for Ghosn since he lives there, but otherwise it seems kind of useless.
CKAI
see with a handle like sin sin or is it sing sing... crackin jokes like thats just beggin for some bad juju…
Poor guy. dont look now but way things headed, legal cred Japans taking a beating of its own
Fredrik
Even if Ghosn was guilty, the custom here in Japan is to make a public apology, and go free. So, why was he held in detention for so long?
WiseOneIn Kansai
@Garlic joe
You seem to have no idea at all. Being a foreigner puts you in this country already in the position of the culprit. Just try it out in daily life, e.g. with a car/ bike accident. You will see that police immediately has the guilty party regardless of real facts. That’s why it is really helpful to have a dash cam. I know several cases where this has happened, especially for foreign women.
I also remember this racial profiling by the Tokyo police in 2021, because only foreigners could catch a covid 19 disease and did not behave accordingly.
Dude, what are you talking about?
I have been here for many years, have had bike/car/scooter accidents. As long as I accepted responsibility for any wrongdoing that I knowingly did, I have had no problems with the boys in blue or my insurance companies.
I'm sensing a "whinger".
smithinjapan
Good. And since it's overseas he might have a chance, unlike if it were tried here.
Yokota
Ghosn’s lawsuit accuses Nissan and the individuals of defamation and of “fabricating charges” against him, which eventually put him behind bars in Japan.
Yeah they were definitely against him.
Rodney
he was in house arrest in Tokyo’s most expensive area with outside exercise time most of the time. He was also allowed to keep his multiple passports, and his luxury mansions in France, Netherlands and Brazil were never seized.
Tokyoite
He had no choice but to leave.
You can't play when the game is rigged against you.
Tokyoite
Nissan is a global company and operates in Lebanon. Therefore they are under the jurisdiction of that country.
lunatic
Ghosn was re-detained 3 times, and spent 100 days in a cell in solitary confinement.
Surprisingly, Saikawa was never indicted having committed the very same crime.
kurisupisu
For having suffered abuse at the hands of the Justice system in Japan, Mr Ghosn deserves to be heard in a country where the press is free!
Japan Inc is in for a bashing….
Harry_Gatto
Rasamny-Younis Motor Company S.A.L. (RYMCO) is the importer and distributor of Nissan Vehicles in Lebanon.
kokontozai
I found some Japanese reaction comments to your comments. Please refer to the following sites This site sometimes translates comments in Japan Today into Japanese.
http://www.gekiyaku.com/archives/60590134.html
ushosh123
I don't doubt that none of parties are completely innocent. But given the facts of him being a rich fugitive that is constantly in the media, and the lack of jurisdiction a Lebanon court has over Nissan in a case where most of the facts have been seen; can't see this trial as anything but theatrics.
WA4TKG
Get ‘em boi’ !
justasking
In this country you are guilty if arrested and it is nearly impossible to get an innocence in the Court the police have more power than the judges this, I heard from my friend a Japanese lawyer. Had Ghosn stayed to fight the charges he would have absolutely no way to have proven his innocence because he would have needed access to his office, and he was cut off even from his wife. It truly appeared he was being railroaded and it was good he could escape because he would have been in prison here for many years innocent or not.
It will be very interesting to see what his lawsuit will bring to surface and if it proves his innocence there are going to be a lot of heads rolling for sure.
WA4TKG
Take the case to The Hague, the Japanese will NEVER win.
justsomeguy8008
I am curious how that would work. He is in Lebanon suing japanese people who are in Japan (and rich). What can be done and who has the authority to carry out the sentence/punishment?
lunatic
“It’s a large company and they have assets everywhere and you can go after their assets anywhere, so this is not a joke,” he said.
src: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/6/20/carlos-ghosn-sues-nissan-aims-to-fight-to-the-end
Hercolobus
Fine. Report to the Tokyo Superior Court to file your case.
Yumster100
Okaaaaay…..
Roh P
Japan's Criminal Justice is a joke. Selective prosecution, targeting people of colour, police Harrassment and no regard for the principles relating to probable cause, and reasonable grounds. They claim to be democracy which respects the rule. They are joke.
bass4funk
100% agreed.
falseflagsteve
Hes a right card, a cheeky crappy one could say. He humiliated the elíte here with his dating escape with the help of his mates.
He was made as a scapegoat here and it was best for him to do a runner
AviBajaj
Well Money Can’t Buy food In Lebanon So Why Do Goshn Need A Billion of it he plans to eat dollars to live Not food
Paul
Good! I hope he wins!