Japan Approves Arrest Warrant for Carlos Ghosn's Wife
2020-01-08
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1Japanese government lawyers are seeking to arrest the wife of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn.
2They believe that Carole Ghosn lied when she was questioned in a Tokyo court about her husband's case.
3Japanese prosecutors have accused Carlos Ghosn of financial misconduct.
4He was in Japan awaiting trial last week when he fled to Lebanon, where he lived as a child.
5Carole Ghosn is not in Japan. Prosecutors said in a statement that she gave false testimony to the court last year.
6She was asked about the transfer of money from one company to another that reportedly caused financial losses for Nissan.
7She also denied knowing or meeting several people, and the denials were false, prosecutors said.
8Carole Ghosn was not available for comment.
9But earlier, she told The Associated Press after her questioning in court that she considered the questions unsubstantial.
10She was barred from meeting with her husband after his release on bail because of fears she might tamper with evidence.
11Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty.
12Japanese officials say it is unclear whether the Ghosns can be forced to go to Japan to face charges.
13The officials also said they were still looking into what could be done.
14In Beirut, Lebanon's justice minister confirmed that the government had received a request from Interpol to arrest Carlos Ghosn.
15He said Lebanon would take "the necessary steps."
16The Lebanese president's office announced Tuesday that President Michel Aoun met with Japanese ambassador Takeshi Okubo.
17It was the first known meeting between the president and a Japanese diplomat since Ghosn arrived in the country on December 30.
18Aoun's office said Okubo called for cooperation from Lebanese officials in order to avoid diplomatic problems between the two countries.
19Japan's chief government spokesman said Japanese officials have told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country illegally, and they are trying to understand what happened.
20Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan says Ghosn entered Lebanon legally, and added that his "stay on Lebanese territories" is legal.
21He also said Lebanon had not yet received any requests from Japan about the arrest of Carole Ghosn.
22The state-operated National News Agency reported his comments.
23Earlier Tuesday, Ghosn's former employer, Nissan Motor Company, said it was still seeking legal action against him.
24Nissan and Japanese prosecutors accuse Ghosn of misstating his future compensation and taking company money for personal use.
25Ghosn says he is innocent.
26In a statement, the company said it would "hold Ghosn (responsible)...for the harm his misconduct has caused to Nissan." It did not give details.
27Ghosn claims he is the victim of a campaign by Japan's government and Nissan officials to destroy the possibility of a merger between Nissan and the French company Renault.
28Ghosn was able to leave the country while he was under surveillance at a home in Tokyo.
29Japanese reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape.
30They say he left his home alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took a train to the city of Osaka.
31In Osaka, he hid in a large box that was put on a private plane.
32Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape "injustice."
33Critics of the Japanese legal system say his case shows that the system moves too slowly and keeps people in detention too long.
34Japanese officials have defended the nation's legal system. They say Ghosn's escape was an "unjustifiable" crime.
35I'm Susan Shand.
1Japanese government lawyers are seeking to arrest the wife of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn. They believe that Carole Ghosn lied when she was questioned in a Tokyo court about her husband's case. 2Japanese prosecutors have accused Carlos Ghosn of financial misconduct. He was in Japan awaiting trial last week when he fled to Lebanon, where he lived as a child. 3Carole Ghosn is not in Japan. Prosecutors said in a statement that she gave false testimony to the court last year. She was asked about the transfer of money from one company to another that reportedly caused financial losses for Nissan. She also denied knowing or meeting several people, and the denials were false, prosecutors said. 4Carole Ghosn was not available for comment. But earlier, she told The Associated Press after her questioning in court that she considered the questions unsubstantial. 5She was barred from meeting with her husband after his release on bail because of fears she might tamper with evidence. 6Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty. Japanese officials say it is unclear whether the Ghosns can be forced to go to Japan to face charges. The officials also said they were still looking into what could be done. 7In Beirut, Lebanon's justice minister confirmed that the government had received a request from Interpol to arrest Carlos Ghosn. He said Lebanon would take "the necessary steps." 8The Lebanese president's office announced Tuesday that President Michel Aoun met with Japanese ambassador Takeshi Okubo. It was the first known meeting between the president and a Japanese diplomat since Ghosn arrived in the country on December 30. 9Aoun's office said Okubo called for cooperation from Lebanese officials in order to avoid diplomatic problems between the two countries. 10Japan's chief government spokesman said Japanese officials have told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country illegally, and they are trying to understand what happened. 11Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan says Ghosn entered Lebanon legally, and added that his "stay on Lebanese territories" is legal. He also said Lebanon had not yet received any requests from Japan about the arrest of Carole Ghosn. The state-operated National News Agency reported his comments. 12Earlier Tuesday, Ghosn's former employer, Nissan Motor Company, said it was still seeking legal action against him. Nissan and Japanese prosecutors accuse Ghosn of misstating his future compensation and taking company money for personal use. Ghosn says he is innocent. 13In a statement, the company said it would "hold Ghosn (responsible)...for the harm his misconduct has caused to Nissan." It did not give details. 14Ghosn claims he is the victim of a campaign by Japan's government and Nissan officials to destroy the possibility of a merger between Nissan and the French company Renault. 15Ghosn was able to leave the country while he was under surveillance at a home in Tokyo. 16Japanese reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape. They say he left his home alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took a train to the city of Osaka. In Osaka, he hid in a large box that was put on a private plane. 17Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape "injustice." Critics of the Japanese legal system say his case shows that the system moves too slowly and keeps people in detention too long. 18Japanese officials have defended the nation's legal system. They say Ghosn's escape was an "unjustifiable" crime. 19I'm Susan Shand. 20The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 21Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. 22____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24prosecutor - n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty 25testimony - n. a sworn statement; something that someone says in a court of law while promising to tell the truth 26transfer - n. the movement of someone or something from one place to another 27bail - n. money given to a court that enables a prisoner to leave jail and on the promise of returning later for a trial 28tamper - v. to change or affect 29extradition - n. to send a person who has been accused of a crime to another state or country for trial 30compensation - n. payment given for doing a job 31merger - n. the combing of two things, like two companies, into one 32surveillance - n. the act of carefully watching someone or something, especially in order to prevent or identify a crime