Carlos Ghosn to appear before Lebanese judiciary following Interpol arrest warrant

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn is expected to appear before the Lebanese judiciary next week for questioning over the accusations brought against him by the Japanese judiciary

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

02 January, 2020

Lebanon's judiciary received a red notice from Interpol for the arrest of Ghosn [Getty]

Auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn is set to appear before the Lebanese judiciary next week over the accusations brought against him by the Japanese judiciary related to crimes of tax evasion and fraud, Lebanese media reported on Thursday.

The news came after Lebanon's judiciary received a red notice from Interpol for the arrest of Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon to avoid a Japanese trial.

A source told Lebanon's The Daily Star that State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat will take the required judicial measures after interrogating Ghosn.

A decision will also be made on whether Lebanon will accept the participation of a judicial Japanese delegation in the interrogation, the daily reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Lebanon's Justice Minister Albert Sarhan announced that "the public prosecutor... has received what is known as a red notice from Interpol in the Carlos Ghosn case".

The French-Lebanese former Nissan boss, who had been under house arrest in Japan over several counts of financial misconduct, escaped in mysterious circumstances and arrived in Beirut on Monday.

Interpol, which is headquartered in the French city of Lyon, is an international organisation that facilitates worldwide police cooperation.

An Interpol 'red notice' is a request to police across the world to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is not an arrest warrant.

A Lebanese judicial source has already told AFP however that Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition agreement under which Ghosn - who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian nationalities - could be sent back to Tokyo.

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