Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
In just over a year, Carlos Ghosn went from superstar automotive executive to international fugitive, and the story of his mysterious escape from Japan has captivated the world's attention.
Advertisement
From musical instrument cases, to paid-off airport employees, and a forged passport, the stunt has no shortage of paths for digital sleuths to investigate.
Lebanese officials have said, according to Reuters, that the 65-year-old entered the country legally. How he got there, however, is another question. Ghosn wasn't required to wear an ankle bracelet, like many house-arrest subjects are required.
Despite that, he was under near-constant surveillance by authorities who undoubtedly watched his every move, making his flight all the more gripping of a tale. Here are the theories of Ghosn's escape, and how well they're backed up by what we know so far:
Ghosn hired "private security operatives" to smuggle him out of Japan, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the escape.
It's a move that would have taken months to plan and execute, The Wall Street Journal reported, confirming some of the FT's story. The complex nature of the escape is also the very reason Ghosn was not allowed contact with his wife, who the paper said played a large role in his flight.
In a statement released Thursday, Ghosn denied these reports.
"There has been speculation in the media that my wife Carole, and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan," he said through a representative.
"All such speculation is inaccurate and false. I alone arranged for my departure. My family had no role whatsoever."
A musical instrument case
Ghosn's getaway likely began at his Tokyo home, where he was staying following a release from jail in April. Conditions of his $4.6 million bail said he was to maintain a "registered domestic address" in Japan. There were also restrictions on his travel and communications.
The Lebanese TV channel MTV, which cited no sources, said Ghosn fled the flat in a musical instrument case that was used by a band playing a holiday party at his home in the days before his escape. As the Georgian ensemble packed up, the news station said, Ghosn slipped into a large case.
However, people close to Ghosn denied the musical instrument theory, the Financial Times reported.
Turkish assistance
Once at the airport, Ghosn boarded a flight to Turkey in order to connect to Lebanon. His lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, said that he still had possession of Ghosn's three passports from Lebanon, Brazil, and France, The New York Times reported.
So what did Ghosn use to enter Turkey and Lebanon? According to Salim Jreissati, the Lebanese minister for presidential affairs, Ghosn "entered the country legally using his French passport and Lebanese ID."
On Thursday, Turkey detained four pilots suspected of helping Ghosn flee via the off-the-books stop in Istanbul.
What happens next
Ghosn is expected to hold a press conference in the coming days, and has retained the services of US-based public relations firm Glover Park Group. Until then, Japanese authorities will have plenty of questions to answer.
And the internet will continue to be the internet.
