Lebanon not to extradite Ghosn despite Interpol arrest warrant

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Beirut has received an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to extradite Lebanese former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn to Japan, but the authorities refrained from handing him over, local media reported Thursday.

"During [French President Emmanuel] Macron's re-election, an arrest warrant against Ghosn was issued in absentia, followed by a notification that was distributed among Interpol staff," sources reported.

"The Lebanese judicial bodies received [the warrant], as well as a previous warrant issued by Japan... Lebanon does not extradite its citizens," they added.

Ghosn is a Brazilian-born French businessman of Lebanese descent. The Japanese authorities arrested him in Tokyo in November 2018 and accused him of underreporting income during his time as the chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

In a statement made on New Year's Eve in 2019, Ghosn said he was in Lebanon and that he had fled to escape political persecution.

French prosecutors sought international arrest warrants for Ghosn and four individuals they allege to have ties to an auto dealer in Oman, claiming they helped the car titan siphon millions of euros from Renault.

They claim Ghosn used the Omani vehicle distributor to divert millions of dollars from Renault for his own purposes, including the purchase of a 120-foot yacht.

Ghosn reportedly fled to Lebanon while hiding in a musical equipment box from a trial in Japan on charges of financial malfeasance.

He initially welcomed the French probe after fleeing, stating he believed in the French legal system and that it would allow him to prove his innocence. However, his personal circumstances are unlikely to be affected by the latest arrest warrant.