The fallen Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn who fled Japan after multiple arrests is said to have been ‘treated illegally’ by the Japanese authorities, according to the United Nations. The fact that he was detained several times is at the heart of the UN judgment.
At the end of last year, Carlos Ghosn fled Japan, after several times in prison and under house arrest. The former Renault-Nissan CEO was charged in Japan on suspicion of fraud while at the helm of Nissan. The lawsuit about this has now started in Japan, even though Ghosn is still in Lebanon. Ghosn stated shortly after he turned up in Lebanon that he found his treatment in Japan scandalous with several subsequent arrests. He is now receiving support from the United Nations on that point.
The UN Human Rights Council considered the matter and concluded that Japan acted ‘unlawfully’ by repeatedly detaining Ghosn. “The repeated arrest of Mr. Ghosn appears to be an abuse of the procedure designed to ensure that he remained in custody. This recurring pattern of detention was an extrajudicial trial abuse that cannot have a legal basis under international law,” quotes Automotive News based on a UN statement. The council calls this treatment of Ghosn ‘fundamentally unfair’. The question is how much legal value these UN decisions have, but it can undoubtedly strengthen Ghosn in part in his defense.