THE ex-boss of Nissan who fled Japan in a double bass case to dodge fraud charges had been planning his escape for months, it has been claimed.
It emerged preparations began in October involving a team of hired security professionals to help Carlos Ghosn jump £10million bail.
Ghosn, 65, accused of financial misconduct, fled from Japan to the Middle East using a false passport.
The Brazilian-born exec spent more than 100 days in custody following his arrest in November 2018 on four charges of falsifying financial statements while boss of Nissan-Renault.
Mr Ghosn had been under house arrest in Tokyo awaiting trial but managed to evade police surveillance.
He said he was escaping “injustice and political persecution” claiming the Japanese justice system was “rigged as guilt is presumed, discrimination rampant, and basic human rights are denied”.
Lebanese news channel MTV reports that a group of paramilitaries entered the home posing as musicians hired to perform at a dinner party and left with Ghosn hiding inside a box designed to hold a musical instrument.
The box is thought to have been a double bass case, typically around 6ft 2in long.
The Financial Times reports Japanese supporters of Ghosn assisted in the planning, alongside the private security operatives.
Mr Ghosn, who spent his childhood in Lebanon which has no extradition treaty with Japan, is believed to have arrived in Beirut from Istanbul.
Ghosn has claimed he was escaping “injustice and political persecution”.
He said he would “no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.”
Ghosn spent his childhood in Lebanon, where officials have confirmed he entered the country legally.
He is believed to have travelled to capital Beirut via Istanbul.
Pictures from Beirut show Lebanese internal security forces parked outside a luxurious home identified by court documents as belonging to Ghosn.
Lebanon currently has no extradition treaty with Japan.
One of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, has called his behaviour “inexcusable”.
The episode represents a dramatic fall for Ghosn, hailed for rescuing Nissan, which he led from near bankruptcy over two decades.
He was also chairman and chief executive of Nissan’s French partner Renault.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
