Despite his fame, the seriousness of the charges against him and the brazen nature of his escape from Japan — a country with a modern criminal justice system, despite Ghosn’s criticism — Ghosn won’t necessarily be forced to return to Tokyo to face trial.
Lebanon, the nation to which the auto executive fled, does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn, who was born in Brazil but has Lebanese ancestry, is a Lebanese citizen.
Japan’s justice ministry said it did not have records of Mr Ghosn departing Japan. “It is believed that he used some wrongful methods to illegally leave the country,” the country’s Justice Minister, Masako Mori, said at a press conference in Tokyo.