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A lawyer for former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said Saturday he felt betrayed by his clients escape from Japan but still understood his act, claiming it resulted from Japans inhumane justice system.
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The international tycoon, who faces multiple charges of financial misconduct that he denies, jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in late December to avoid a Japanese trial.
“First, I was filled with a sense of strong anger. I felt betrayed,” Ghosns lawyer Takashi Takano wrote in his blog, stating that he had not been informed about the plan in advance.
“But anger was turning to something else as I recalled how he was treated by the countrys justice system,” Takano said.
Ghosn is thought to have taken a private jet from Kansai Airport in western Japan, heading for Istanbul. It is believed he headed from there to Beirut.
“I can easily imagine that if people with wealth, human networks and ability to take action have the same experience (as Ghosn), they would do the same thing or at least consider doing so,” Takano said.
Ghosns high-profile arrest in November 2018 and his long detention under severe conditions were widely considered draconian compared with the West.
Suspects in Japan can be detained for weeks or even months before trial, with limited access to their lawyers, and around 99 percent of trials in the country result in a conviction.
>> Special coverage: What's next for Carlos Ghosn?
Critics including rights groups such as Amnesty International have derided Japans system as “hostage justice”, designed to break morale and force confessions from suspects.
When safely in Lebanon, Ghosn pressed this point again, Read More – Source
