Carlos Ghosn: Ex-Nissan boss flees Japan for Lebanon - The - The Washington Post

Issei Kato Reuters Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn in Tokyo on April 25, 2019. Ghosn said he had escaped “injustice” in Japan, where he faced accusations of financial misconduct, and is now in Lebanon.

TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn, the former boss of the Nissan-Renault car alliance, said on Tuesday he had left Japan where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct and arrived in Lebanon.

It was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese descent and holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian citizenship, had departed Japan. The 65-year-old was released on bail in Tokyo in April but placed under close surveillance and ordered to surrender his passports.

“I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied, in flagrant disregard of Japan’s legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold,” Ghosn said in a statement.

“I have not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.”

One of Ghosn’s Japanese lawyers said they were still holding his Lebanese, French and Brazilian passports, as required by the terms of his bail, and called his actions “inexcusable.”

“We don’t know any more than has been reported,” Junichiro Hironaka told reporters, in remarks broadcast by NHK. “It was like a bolt from the blue. We are surprised and puzzled.”

Ghosn’s treatment since his arrest in November 2018 has thrown an unflattering spotlight on Japan’s justice system, and prompted concerns in boardrooms around the world. Sympathy was high among the general public in Lebanon, and its government had complained publicly about Ghosn’s humiliating treatment behind bars.

Ghosn, one of the world’s most successful and charismatic auto executives, was accused of financial misconduct and underreporting his income. But his initial 23-day detention was extended to 108 days as prosecutors rearrested him several times while he was still behind bars, a common tactic used in Japan to extract confessions and widely criticized as amounting to “hostage justice.”

[Former Nissan, Renault boss Carlos Ghosn rearrested on fresh charges in Japan]

He was released in March, then rearrested again in April just after announcing plans to hold a news conference, before finally being granted bail under strict conditions, including that he not speak to his wife. Writing in The Washington Post in April, Carole Ghosn said her husband had been kept in solitary confinement, with the lights on around the clock, and subjected to interrogation at all hours of the night and day without access to his lawyers.

The case prompted questions about whether a Japanese executive would have faced the same treatment, and why Ghosn and U.S. citizen Greg Kelly were the only Nissan board members arrested, when the company’s Japanese executives should also have known about Ghosn’s compensation arrangements.

Mark Lennihan

AP

Carlos Ghosn at the New York International Auto Show in April 2015.

Ghosn and his lawyers say the allegations were trumped up as part of a conspiracy among Nissan, government officials and prosecutors to oust Ghosn and block his plans to force through a closer merger between the Japanese automaker and its alliance partner, Renault.

Equally, though, there have been concerns raised about Ghosn’s management.

In dismissing Ghosn in 2018, Nissan said its investigations revealed misconduct ranging from understating his salary to transferring $5 million of company funds to an account in which he had an interest.

Renault, initially supportive of its former boss, announced in April after an internal investigation that it had found evidence of “questionable and concealed practices and violations of the group’s ethical principles.” At the time, Renault said it would halt Ghosn’s pension and reserved the right to bring action against him in the courts.

[Japanese court grants bail to former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn after nearly four months in jail]

Ghosn earned a reputation as one of the auto industry’s top executives after turning around the fortunes of Renault and Nissan and bringing the two companies together in a three-way alliance with Mitsubishi.

But his efforts to forge closer links between Renault and Nissan ran into opposition from within the Japanese company, and many experts say that may have been a factor in his downfall.

His reputation for streamlining Renault’s operations won him the nickname “Le Cost Killer,” while his success in turning Nissan around from near bankruptcy earned him the moniker “Mr. Fix It.” His efforts made him enormously popular in Japan, with blanket media coverage and even a manga comic produced about his life. However, his lavish lifestyle and relatively high pay were sources of controversy.

Inevitably, there was intense speculation about how Ghosn could have left the country without the authorities’ knowledge.

Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Keisuke Suzuki visited Beirut earlier this month where he met with the Lebanese president and foreign minister.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was still “looking into the matter to ascertain the status of affairs” and could not comment at the moment. A senior official told NHK that the ministry was not aware of Ghosn’s departure.

“Had we known about it prior to his departure, we would have reported that to the legal authorities,” the official was quoted as saying.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, and given public support for Ghosn there it is unlikely any attempt to extradite him would be successful.

Akiko Kashiwagi contributed to this report.

simon.denyer@washpost.com

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Former Nissan, Renault boss Carlos Ghosn rearrested on fresh charges in Japan

Japanese court grants bail to former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn after nearly four months in jail

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2019-12-31 07:09:00Z
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Australia fires: 4000 people trapped on beach in Mallacoota as wildfires rage - CNN

Early in the morning, about 4,000 residents and visitors were forced to leave their homes and vacation accommodation in Mallacoota, in the state of Victoria, authorities said.

The town activated its emergency siren warning of the imminent fire threat and residents headed to the seaside, following an evacuation plan previously outlined in community meetings.

"There's no way in or out," Mallacoota resident Jason Selmes told CNN after evacuating his home.

Thick smoke from the fires turned the morning sky pitch black. As the day wore on, the sky lightened to a bright orange, and the blazes began spreading through the town. Photographs from the ground showed homes burning and an approaching fire line.

Some people sought shelter in the sea. Ida Dempsey and her family were visiting from Melbourne, and evacuated to their boat, mooring about 200 meters (about 656 feet) from shore.

Three emergency strike teams were at the beach with the residents, and emergency services set up medical centers and safe evacuation locations, according to state agency Victoria Emergency.

Conditions became milder later in the afternoon, after a dangerous wind change bypassed the town. Country Fire Authority Chief Steve Warrington said it was "relatively good news," and that evacuees had cheered upon hearing the announcement.

Some people are now returning to their homes, while others remain on the beach. There are "a number of houses" believed to be destroyed or damaged, Warrington said.

However, the situation remains "dynamic and dangerous," and Warrington said there is still an emergency warning in place. A number of fires remain burning in the town and across the state that could spread across the East Gippsland region where Mallacoota is located. Warrington warned residents to stay aware of further alerts, and added that state authorities were still discussing potential evacuations.

Victoria Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said some communities in the state remain isolated, and food packs and other supplies are being organized for transport. Emergency crews are still working to determine the extent of damage by air, but suggest significant property loss across the East Gippsland region, he said.

Four people remain unaccounted for in Victoria with a "very real fear for their safety," state Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday. He did not provide any further information on identities or exact locations.

Located in the far eastern corner of Victoria, East Gippsland is home to about 80,000 people, who are scattered across remote villages and towns. The region is popular with tourists, who go to see wildlife and hike in the national parks.

There is a nationwide fire crisis

As of Monday, there are more than 10 fires in the East Gippsland region alone, including three large ones that have been burning for more than a month, according to Victoria Emergency. Many of the fires were started on Sunday by dry lightning, and rapidly spread due to strong winds and hot, dry weather.

On Sunday, Victoria authorities urged residents and vacationers to evacuate, warning that "it is not possible to provide support and aid to all the visitors" in the area.

Weather conditions are expected to improve in the next 24 hours -- meaning cooler temperatures and lower winds -- but will worsen again by the end of the week, bringing dangerous fire conditions, according to CNN meteorologists.

Fires have devastated parts of Australia for months. Across Victoria, 70 new fires started on Monday, of which more than 20 are still active. In the neighboring state of New South Wales (NSW), there are more than 100 fires burning on Tuesday, of which 60 are yet to be contained.

The death toll has been slowly climbing. Two people were found dead Tuesday in the NSW town of Cobargo, with a third person still unaccounted for. On Monday, a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter died in NSW after strong winds rolled his truck over. Earlier in December, two other NSW volunteer firefighters died after their vehicle hit a tree during firefighting operations.

More than 900 homes have been destroyed in NSW since the start of the fire season, and that number will likely increase as firefighters struggle to contain the massive fires.

In Batemans Bay, NSW, hundreds of families were also evacuating their homes on Tuesday under an eerie orange sky. "It was like we were in hell," vacationer Zoe Simmons told CNN. "We were all covered in ash."

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned there are thousands of people along the coast taking refuge with "a long, difficult, dangerous night ahead." He said that the fires on Tuesday spread faster and further than previously predicted, adding: "it's been a truly awful day."

NSW and Victoria are some of the hardest-hit locations, but there have been fires occurring in every state across Australia as weather conditions worsen.

State and federal authorities have activated emergency resources and deployed thousands of firefighters since the fire season began in early September. The Australian Defence Force has sent assistance to multiple states, including air force aircraft and army personnel. The United States, Canada, and New Zealand have also sent additional firefighters to help.

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2019-12-31 06:47:00Z
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British woman, 19, could face prison after Cyprus court finds her guilty of lying about gang rape - Fox News

A 19-year-old British woman who had accused a dozen young Israelis of gang-raping her at a hotel in Cyprus is now facing up to a year in prison after a court found her guilty of lying about the entire ordeal.

The woman, who was convicted Monday on a charge of causing public mischief, could also face a $2,000 fine, according to the BBC. But she is now arguing that police in the island country coerced her into making a false confession — a claim they are pushing back against.

Her lawyers plan to appeal the verdict, telling the BBC that the court violated European human rights laws by basing their conviction in part on a retraction statement the woman gave while she had no attorney present.

A 19-year-old British woman, center, covers her face as she leaves from the Famagusta court after her trial, in Paralimni, Cyprus, on Monday. (AP)

POLICE INVESTIGATING CYPRUS SERIAL KILLER RECOVER THIRD SUITCASE CONTAINING HUMAN REMAINS

The legal saga began in July when the woman alleged that 12 young Israelis gang-raped her at a hotel in Ayia Napa, a resort town in Cyprus. Her mother told the BBC last month that her daughter was visiting the country for work and started suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the alleged incident.

During the investigation, police in Cyprus arrested all of the men accused in the attack – but they later were released and allowed to return home.

Prosecutors reportedly told the court that 10 days after the woman made the gang-rape claims, she willingly wrote and signed a statement retracting them.

The judge presiding over the case said the woman initially falsely reported being raped because she was “embarrassed” that some of the men had used their phones to record her having sex, according to the BBC.

Yet her lawyers said the videos show her having consensual sex with one individual from the group while telling others who were trying to enter her room to leave, the station adds.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The woman was arrested and spent around a month in prison prior to the start of the trial, before being released on bail.

She has not been allowed to leave the island since and her family spent Christmas there with her, the BBC reports. Her sentencing is scheduled for early January.

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2019-12-30 13:55:39Z
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for "offensive measures" - CBS This Morning

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2019-12-30 13:23:16Z
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Iran warns of 'consequences' after US strikes in Iraq and Syria - CNN

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2019-12-30 12:55:09Z
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Iran warns of 'consequences' after US strikes in Iraq and Syria - CNN

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1. Iran warns of 'consequences' after US strikes in Iraq and Syria  CNN
2. US conducts airstrikes in Iraq, Syria after contractor killed, American troops injured in rocket attack  Fox News
3. Top Iraq militia chief warns of tough response to U.S. air strikes  Reuters.com
4. US strikes 5 facilities in Iraq and Syria linked to Iranian-backed militia  CNN
5. US: Military strikes target militia in deadly Iraq attack  Business Insider Nordic
6. View full coverage on Google News

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2019-12-30 11:42:00Z
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Top Iraqi militia leader warns of strong response to U.S. air strikes - Reuters.com

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong response against U.S. forces in Iraq following air strikes in Iraq and Syria overnight that hit several bases of his Iranian-backed group and killed at least 25 people.

A combination of images depicts what the U.S. military says are bases of the Kataib Hezbollah militia group that were struck by U.S. forces, in the city of Al-Qa'im, Iraq December 29, 2019 is seen in this handout picture provided by the U.S. Department of Defense. U.S. Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS

The U.S. military carried out air strikes on Sunday against the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, officials said.

Iraqi security and militia sources said at least 25 militia fighters were killed and at least 55 wounded following three U.S. air strikes in Iraq.

“The blood of the martyrs will not be in vain and our response will be very tough on the American forces in Iraq,” senior commander Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, said late on Sunday. Iran said it strongly condemned the raids as “terrorism”.

Mohandes is a senior commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella grouping of paramilitary groups mostly consisting of Iran-backed Shi’ite militias that was formally integrated into Iraq’s armed forces.

He is also one of Iran’s most powerful allies in Iraq and formerly headed Kataib Hezbollah, which he founded.

Iraqi security sources said on Monday that U.S. forces in Iraq’s northerly Nineveh province were ramping up security overnight, with U.S.-led coalition jets circling the perimeter of its military bases in Mosul and Qayarah.

Tensions have risen between Tehran and Washington -Iraq’s two main allies - since last year when President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy.

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iranian-backed forces for a series of attacks on bases in Iraq and said any attacks by Tehran or proxies harming Americans or allies would be “answered with a decisive U.S. response.”

“We strongly deny any role in the attack on American forces. This claim without any evidence cannot justify bombing and killing people in violation of international law,” said Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, quoted by the semi-official news agency Fars.

Iran’s foreign ministry called on the United States to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

‘INSOLENT ATTACK’

The air strikes come at a troubled time of protests in Iraq with thousands taking to the streets to condemn, among other things, militias such as Kataib Hezbollah and their Iranian backers. They also demand an overhaul of a political system they see as corrupt and keeping most Iraqis in poverty. More than 450 people have been killed in unrest as security forces have sought to quell anti-government demonstrations.

The PMF bolstered Iraq’s security forces during their battle to retake a third of the country from Islamic State, helping secure victory against the militants.

They were later formally integrated into Iraq’s official security structure and also wield large political influence.

There was no immediate comment from the Iraqi government on the air strikes. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who is backed by Iran and its allies, resigned last month as the protests continued but has remained in office in a caretaker capacity.

Iraq’s Fatih alliance, which holds the second-largest number of seats in parliament and largely consists of militia leaders, called the air strikes an attack on Iraq’s sovereignty.

“The insolent attack by American forces on security forces which targeted the 45th and 46th brigades of the Popular Moralization Forces in the Qaim area is an attack on national sovereignty and on Iraq’s dignity,” it said in a statement.

Lebanon’s powerful Shi’ite group Hezbollah, also backed by Iran, also condemned the air strikes, calling them a blatant attack on Iraqi sovereignty, security, and stability.

Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Eric Knecht in Beirut, and Jamal Badrani in Mosul; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by William Maclean

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-12-30 09:19:00Z
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