Defiant Ghosn Invokes Pearl Harbor, Shows Fabled Brashness

(Bloomberg) -- A year mired in Japan’s judicial system hasn’t slowed Carlos Ghosn down a bit.

The former head of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA appeared as energetic and combative as ever at a rowdy two-and-a-half-hour press conference in Beirut, the first since his arrest in Tokyo more than a year ago on allegations of financial misconduct. Eager to tell his story, he arrived early and tried to start ahead of schedule.

Clearly emboldened by his Hollywood-style flight from Japan to Lebanon last week, he proclaimed his innocence and came out swinging at Japanese prosecutors, government officials and Nissan executives whom he accused of conspiring to topple him. He also cast disparaging remarks on the automotive alliance he formerly led, suggesting the new bosses have gotten everything wrong.

His hair was grayer, but with his dark suit, red tie and confident manner he looked every bit the globe-trotting executive who’d been an annual fixture at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, before his sudden fall from grace. He displayed his legendary brashness, at one point attempting to group the reporters packed into the press conference by nationality. Fielding questions in four languages, he slipped easily between English, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

He said hopelessness drove him to flee Japan after the judge, on Christmas day, said his trial would be postponed to 2021, meaning another year or more without seeing his wife, Carole.

“Maybe for some people not seeing your wife wouldn’t be a punishment,” he joked, adding that was not the case for him.

Ghosn reserved most of his criticism for the Japanese justice system, which he said “violates the most basic principles of humanity.”

His prominent ego was on display, as he reminded viewers that he’d once turned down an offer to run General Motors Co. at twice his pay at the time. He appeared especially aggrieved when recounting his turnaround of Nissan two decades ago, asking repeatedly why his service to the company and Japan had been “repaid with evil.”

He had harsh words for the Renault-Nissan auto alliance he built up over two decades, saying that when he looked at its performance over the past 15 months he wasn’t optimistic about its future.

The 65-year-old is seeking to salvage his legacy, blighted by allegations of understating his income and raiding corporate resources for personal gain at Nissan. He’s also under investigation in France. At the press conference, he presented a few slides with documents to rebut the charges and said more would be coming as he lays out his plan to clear his name.

Pearl Harbor

Ghosn didn’t mince his words when accusing Japanese authorities and Nissan of having fomented a plot to overthrow him, comparing the unpredictability of his arrest to the Pearl Harbor attack.

Tokyo prosecutors said Ghosn’s conspiracy theory is “categorically false,” while Japan’s justice minister defended the legal system against his criticisms. Nissan declined to comment beyond a statement issued on Tuesday that said its internal investigation found “incontrovertible evidence of various acts of misconduct” by the former executive. A Renault representative declined to comment.

Accounts of his escape have transfixed the world, but he declined to provide any details Wednesday. Bloomberg has reported that he boarded a private jet at Kansai International Airport bound for Istanbul -- apparently concealed in a large black case that was too big to fit into the airport’s baggage-scanning machines. Reaching Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, he changed planes while inside a box before a second jet took him to Beirut.

When asked whether he would recommend traveling in a large case, Ghosn just smiled broadly and waved his hand before moving on to the next question.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.