In the Japanese government’s first briefing since Ghosn fled to his childhood home of Lebanon, Justice Minister Masako Mori gave little insight into the events of the escape, repeatedly telling reporters she could not comment on specifics because of an ongoing investigation.
The ousted boss of Nissan and France’s Renault was forbidden from leaving Japan while awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct, which he denied. However he fled at the end of last year, saying he escaped a “rigged” justice system.
Mori noted that as a general principle, Tokyo could possibly request extradition from a country with which it has no formal extradition agreement.
Such a request would need to be carefully examined based on the possibility of “guaranteeing reciprocity and the domestic law of the partner country,” Mori told reporters in Tokyo.
