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Ghosn says $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan reasonable given his suffering after arrest

44 Comments
By BASSEM MROUE

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I greatly sympathize with Ghosn for the abuse he and Greg Kelly (and their wives) clearly endured in the government’s last-ditch effort to prevent a foreign entity from taking a controlling stake in one of Japan’s Big Three automakers.

-7 ( +34 / -41 )

“You don’t want companies to be at ease with weaponizing the legal system to make a coup where they cannot change management in a legal way,” Ghosn said. “They use the legal system in order to get rid of management and to establish a new management and that’s exactly

He can finally said that after almost five years, especially after many things emerge what his arrest all about.

took him more than three years to file the lawsuit because he wanted it to be as solid as possible based on evidence, on facts, (and) on witnesses.” He added that “our intention is to win it, so in order to win it, it has to be substantiated by a lot of facts. That’s why it took a lot of time.”

Even public can see how things are really doing now, in his former company.

https://www.businessupturn.com/sectors/auto/nissans-ashwani-gupta-quits-raising-leadership-concerns/

-6 ( +16 / -22 )

Greg Kelly was stabbed in the back by a thoroughly corrupt and dishonest, cough cough, "legal" system in Japan. Greg Kelly did absolutely nothing wrong and was tricked into coming to Japan by dishonest prosecutors so they could arrest him and run him through their kangaroo court. If the US had any courage they would file charges against the Japanese prosecutors and the judge and ask Interpol for Red Notices for their arrest.

Seeing how Greg Kelly was treated, and the situation around the recent resignation of the number two at Nissan last week, I tend to believe Carlos Ghosn's account of events.

3 ( +31 / -28 )

Ghosn should receive [at the minimum], ¥7 Billion for what Japan did to a man who pulled Nissan out of poverty. Still yet, most Japanese nationals still believe that Ghosn is 100% guilty and this is before and actual court case and years after the fact.

How would Ghosn ever get a fail trial in Japan?

-6 ( +24 / -30 )

"government’s last-ditch effort to prevent a foreign entity from taking a controlling stake in one of Japan’s Big Three automakers."

-14 ( +16 / -30 )

"government’s last-ditch effort to prevent a foreign entity from taking a controlling stake in one of Japan’s Big Three automakers."

> I hope they learned their lesson, and future peeps

-14 ( +11 / -25 )

Correction: Ghosn didn't flee Japan, he escaped the draconian guilty-until-proven-innocent "justice" system in Japan.

What a difference a word makes.

1 ( +29 / -28 )

Whew, a forever monumental lesson!

6 ( +13 / -7 )

Still yet, most Japanese nationals still believe that Ghosn is 100% guilty

When the citizens are effectively hostages of the state, a hostage justice system and compliant media don't seem abnormal.

-12 ( +17 / -29 )

It’s his privilege to file a lawsuit. But will a Lebanese court order be enforceable in Japan? He could have hired top-notch Japanese lawyers and filed a lawsuit against Nissan in Japan. Keep wasting your time and money, Carlos.

2 ( +18 / -16 )

And the silly Ghosnbelievers start to bray.. "Oohh give to Papa Ghosn 10 million dollars, my favorite criminal rat, yeeey!!!"..

Pathetic Looool!!..

-17 ( +10 / -27 )

A billion might just sink the rotting Nissan ship once and for all and force Japan into implementing systematic reform across the board.

Some serious skeletons are going to exposed.

-9 ( +9 / -18 )

Half of the 1 billion will be used to pay for his legal fees , protection, and administration. the other half Mr. Ghosn will probably enjoy at his leisure. True if this case was filed in a US court it would be MUCH higher amount and will have a much more painful bite out of Nissan assets.

Nissan should have just let him go in a respectful manner and things would have been much more simple, instead Nissan has chosen to play hard ball.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

“You don’t want companies to be at ease with weaponizing the legal system to make a coup where they cannot change management in a legal way,”

This is not just an issue for Ghosn but for all of us. The legal system or the "rule of law" has been weaponized not just against individuals but communities and also nation states.

-5 ( +12 / -17 )

Why keeping supporting Ghosn ?

He is not a saint. He is on the Interpol list and sued in other countries

In another news

Lebanon received from Interpol a wanted notice for disgraced auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, four weeks after French prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for him, Lebanese judicial officials said.

It is the second Red Notice that Lebanon has received in the case, as the first was issued in January 2020,

The new Red Notice came after the French prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said last month that it issued the warrant for the former head of Nissan and Renault and four other people based on an investigation opened in 2019 into money laundering and abuse of company assets.

Prosecutors are investigating millions of dollars in alleged suspect payments made between the Renault-Nissan alliance and Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA), a vehicle distributor company in Oman.

6 ( +19 / -13 )

It seems internal Nissan backstabbing and scheming is still continuing today. What a rotten company managment. Today,s Asahi news - Nissan investigates claims CEO put deputy under surveillance

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14940504

-2 ( +10 / -12 )

Still dont believe how people can still fall for this guy

1 ( +18 / -17 )

I don't know if the man is guilty of the charges or not, but clearly his treatment at the hands of the Japanese justice system was a disgrace.

I would have done everything to escape as he did, given the indications the Japanese prosecutors were content to see him die in a Japanese cell.

-7 ( +16 / -23 )

People like Ghosn may actually be helping us in the long run, by bringing attention to how the Japanese law treats foreigners. The courts certainly don't give a flying...&%'"()" about a gaijin who dies in custody. So go get Ghosn. Even if you lose, you're still shining a light on this manipulative system. They may be blind to racists the same as we were in the 50s 60s 70s up until the invention of the iphone and we saw how police treated black people in the UK/US. I always had complete trust in the police, and thought..."well, they must have done something"....NOW I GET IT. I had an unconcious bias. Thankfully I became aware of it. Japan will have to go through that learning curve as more and more people of color come to work, live, marry here.

-6 ( +14 / -20 )

Every time I see a picture of this person the expression on his face is always interesting and different.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

He has said he fled the country fearing he would have no chance of a fair trial.

And he was spot on.

-1 ( +14 / -15 )

Every time I see a picture of this person the expression on his face is always interesting and different.

I see Mr Bean.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Greg Kelly was stabbed in the back by a thoroughly corrupt and dishonest, cough cough, "legal" system in Japan. Greg Kelly did absolutely nothing wrong and was tricked into coming to Japan by dishonest prosecutors so they could arrest him and run him through their kangaroo court. . 

Just a small correction: it was nissan management who invited both of them to Japan, not the prosecutors. The latter merely arrested them once they were there.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

@La vie douce Yeah, but the in fighting not only involves Japanese. it also involves foreigners which people on Japan Today seem to overlook when talking about the conspiracy to oust Ghosn. Two names that come to mind are Ashwani Gupta and Hari Nada.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

And here we go again!

Nissan doing its Nissan things.

Exclusive: Nissan investigates claims CEO put deputy under surveillance

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nissan-investigates-claims-ceo-put-deputy-under-surveillance-2023-06-23/

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Still grasping after more money. Is that all he thinks about?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

He should get one trillion dollars instead of 1 billion because the Japanese police and Nissan or xenophobic idiots

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

If the Japanese police were xenophobic, Ghosn jumping bail and refusing to answer the charges in Court just made them even more xenophobic.

In the US we have a former POTUS who cares about nothing but himself and cries victim to justify his breaking of laws. And a huge crowd believe him and support him. I see the exact same scenario here with Ghosn and his supporters.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

@Meiyouwenti

It’s his privilege to file a lawsuit. But will a Lebanese court order be enforceable in Japan? He could have hired top-notch Japanese lawyers and filed a lawsuit against Nissan in Japan. Keep wasting your time and money, Carlos.

Lebanese court just a begining, his former company is international company, so if he couldn't make it in Lebanon he can have new litigation in French, once he got evidence in Lebanese court he could proceed in French with evidence he got.

For example there's another one in French.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/14/fugitive-businessman-carlos-ghosn-demands-15-million-from-renault

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

And a huge crowd believe him and support him. I see the exact same scenario here with Ghosn and his supporters.

So wrong.

Ghosn is actually not the reason we support him, it's must more that the Japanese justice system is so unfair. That's the real subject as to why Ghosn's incarceration, whether the guy was guilty or not, was never the true issue.

While I believe Ghosn saved Nissan, he may have been justly accused. Was he vastly underpaid for what he did for them? I would say in the Japanese system of pay, which is chronically not based on merit and accomplishment, nor commission based, probably did not pay him his worth. But, it doesn't absolve him, of anything.

Getting incarcerated and accused doesn't bother me, at all. But, there was little to no fair process in the Japanese justice system, which is completely different than Trump getting indicted.

Not at all a comparison to the Ghosn situation.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

I agree.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Is Ghosn a victim of his own greed?

As the plane landed and the J authorities were waiting, Ghosn stepped into a web of intrigue, of politically motivated need to keep Nissan solely a J Global Corporate.

Not in any possible distant future tethered to Renault..

Ghosn and Kelly were acceptable casualties, tolerable disambiguation.

$1 billion lawsuit?

What do you think?

Ghosn career is in tatters, a distant memory of a man that allegedly was spirted away in a case designed to house a musical instrument.

I can't wait for the Hollywood blockbuster.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

… it was nissan management who invited both of them to Japan, not the prosecutors. The latter merely arrested them once they were there.

And who told management to get them back into the country? The prosecutors, perhaps?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Ghosn must have, at the very least sensed a suspicion political forces were at play.

Ghosn never needed to board that flight.

All the necessary communications could have been on a secure video link.

I doubt all the parties in this charade will ever truly own up to what actually happened.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He deserves more than $1 billion. Incidentally, well done Lebanon for not returning him to Japan. Has Japan paid Mr Ghosn any compensation for unlawful detention as recommended by the UN.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Gambatte Ghost ten

hopefully you’ll win

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

@Phillip. A complete red herring argument that has nothing to do with the reasoning of this article.

Ghosn's plight will bring attention to the wrongs of the Japanese justice system and will give his side of what happened with Nissan, which is what he wanted in the first place.

If it takes a lawsuit of magnitude to bring it to light, it is of great importance to give perspective to the world in how the justice system in Japan treated him. That isn't losing touch with reality, it's dealing with it.

To people who pigeon hole Ghosn and judge ignorantly the degree of his suffering in comparison to 'people in the world', that's just silly.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Irrespective of guilt, or otherwise, how can someone trust a guy who considers his 'suffering' deserves $1 billion.

Dollar amount isn't the issue. The attention to the case is what Ghosn wants. To have the world learn of his plight in the Japanese justice system and his view on what happened at Nissan. He deserves to be able to give his side.

No one at this point can nor should decide he's guilty. I'm not amazed at how people think, but judging his motives should not be done.

Just believing he is guilty or greedy for his actions are not taking into account why he is doing what he is. It is to bring attention to the case. The money is not the main thing, at all.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

He sure can't seem to stay out of the limelight

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I cant see how this law suit is going to work, is he going to get the Japanese people to go to lebonon ? he cant apear in a Japanese court, will it be a remote hearing?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I cant see how this law suit is going to work, is he going to get the Japanese people to go to lebonon ? he cant apear in a Japanese court, will it be a remote hearing?

Have you ever heard of attorneys and depositions? Just asking. One can sue without ever stepping foot in the courthouse.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He fled Japan in December 2019 for Lebanon where he has lived since.

And Japan still has a sore rump for his skillful departure!

Ghosn is wanted in Japan and France and has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants from those countries. In France, he is facing a number of legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance.

All with no proof or evidence only on hearsay from Japan! A case holier than religoius Swiss cheese.

Ghosn said it took him more than three years to file the lawsuit because he wanted it to be as solid as possible based on evidence, on facts, (and) on witnesses.” He added that “our intention is to win it, so in order to win it, it has to be substantiated by a lot of facts. That’s why it took a lot of time.”

This 1 man is more sensible and smarter than the "Japanese justice system".

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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