In a 17-page statement, the UN Council on Arbitrary Detention charged the Japanese government for the violation of Carlos Ghosn’s rights when he was arrested for different financial frauds during his time of being the chairman at Nissan.
According to the council, it was illegal for Carlos Ghosn to be arrested four different times, making him spend 129 days in jail. Carlos Ghosn’s lawyers asserted that he faced unfair treatment during his time spent in jail. These unfair treatments included confining him to solitude and the absence of a heater in his cell. He was subjected to these unfair treatments to enable him to confess to the offenses he was charged for.
The council said Japan should give Ghosn a right to compensation and restitution. After this is done, the Japanese government should also investigate the reasons for Carlos Ghosn’s arbitrary detention.
However, Japanese officials turned down these suggestions by the United Nations Council. That is because Carlos Ghosn fled from Tokyo to Beirut last December. Two Americans who helped him flee are about to be extradited. These Americans include Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor.
The foreign ministry in Japan condemned the UN statement as being completely unacceptable. They said the authorities involved in Carlos Ghosn’s case followed due process.
Officials also said it was unsuitable for the UN council to make a judgment out of incomplete information and false accusations from Carlos Ghosn’s lawyers, as complete facts about the case cannot be released before the commencement of trial.
In a report, the Japanese foreign ministry said the UN council’s judgment could cause those awaiting trial to think fleeing can be accepted and stop justice from taking its course in every country. The UN council in response to the Japanese foreign ministry said they weren’t trying to justify Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan.
In all these, Carlos Ghosn, a 66-year-old Brazilian, claims he is innocent of all charges and accusations. He said he fled because he wanted to escape oppression. “He is getting back his dignity because he’s been humiliated during this time that he was held in Japan,” said Jessica Finelle, Carlos Ghosn’s lawyer.
