Back In The Box
Renault-Nissan's fugitive CEO Carlos Ghosn fled Japan in a crate. Now his Beirut refuge is under fire.
“If you have not been a villain at a certain point in time, you will never be a hero.” – Carlos Ghosn.
It may be time for renegade CEO Carlos Ghosn to crawl back into the box he famously used to escape Japan where he was arrested in 2018 on allegations of underreporting millions in compensation and misusing company funds.
The former Renault-Nissan chieftain fled to his native Lebanon where justice could not touch him. Now his refuge is war zone.
Rarely does circumstance, or perhaps karma, catch up to the CEO class like this, though the ongoing conflict is tragic and not of his making.
Ghosn can either flee his war-rattled country and risk prosecution or he can dodge bombs, some of which have landed within miles of Achrafieh, the upscale Beirut neighborhood where he’s been living.
Three weeks ago, thousands evacuated the city.
On another front, a French judge has ordered Ghosn to stand trial in September on corruption charges, but it’s a safe bet he’ll never show … because he never shows. That was the point of the box – which made for some great documentary films.
Ghosn says he’s the innocent victim of a corporate conspiracy and claims Japan’s criminal justice system is corrupt, but he has refused to stand trial to prove it.
He’s been too busy giving lectures about management, leadership and integrity, on his LinkedIn page and personal website.
Apple TV and Netflix have both produced documentaries on Ghosn’s escape from Japan. And it looks like Ghosn’s life of daring-do begs for a sequel.
He is after all, a runner. And the movie-streaming public loves a runner – no matter what he is alleged to have done.
