Carlos Ghosn has secretly fled to Lebanon to escape 'injustice'

Ghosn, with his sudden, out-of-the-blue escape from Japan, has pulled one out of the hat as Japanese authorities scramble to find pieces to the puzzle.

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn is reported to have fled Japan in order to 'escape injustice and political persecution' and is currently seeking asylum in Lebanon, a country where he's known to be prominent and 'influential'. While statements released by his spokesperson confirmed that he has arrived in Lebanon, everyone following the story seems to be baffled by his 'mode' of escape (which is yet to be determined), keeping in mind that he was under house arrest (at a government-allocated property with 24-hour CCTV surveillance) as part of his bail agreement. The covert operation apparently left Ghosn's own defence team blindsided, with one member claiming to be 'surprised and baffled' by Ghosn's sudden departure.

In his recent statement, seemingly made to justify his audacious (and illegal) move, Ghosn claimed that he would 'no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant and basic human rights are denied.' While the statement is in line with his earlier Twitter protest claiming that he'd fallen victim to a conspiracy hatched by some former Nissan executives, his choice of asylum – Lebanon – seems to tip the scales against him. While Japan and Lebanon are both members of Interpol and have had diplomatic relations since 1954, there is no extradition agreement between the two countries, giving Ghosn the edge, for now.  

Moreover, with three legal passports in his name (of Brazil, Lebanon & France), the plot has thickened further as Ghosn's legal team claims to have had all three passports in their possession. This has fuelled rumours that Ghosn may even have forged documents to facilitate his entry into Lebanon.

So, what's next? Well, Ghosn has announced an official press conference on 8th January that's likely to unravel more details about the whole matter. Till then, there are numerous media agencies across the globe that are trying to decipher his covert escape operation. We'll be tracking this story closely as well to bring you the latest updates.

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