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Lebanon imposes travel ban on ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn

BEIRUT — A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he was awaiting trial on charges of under-reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies. The Lebanese judicial authorities also asked Japan for its file on Ghosn, including the charges against him, and will not question him again until the information is received, one of the sources said. Carlos Abou Jaoude, a Beirut-based lawyer for Ghosn, told Lebanese broadcaster MTV Ghosn was "very comfortable" with the proceedings in Beirut. "He is very comfortable with the path," Jaoude said, adding that Ghosn was also comfortable himself "especially after what he went through". The decision issued by the prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Ouiedat, requires Ghosn to keep the authorities informed of his place of residence, the judicial sources said. Ghosn would surrender his French passport to the Lebanese authorities later on Thursday, one of the sources said after the questioning, which took place at Beirut's Justice Palace, the headquarters of the judiciary. The Brazilian-born Ghosn said on Wednesday he had escaped to Lebanon to clear his name and was ready to stand trial anywhere he could get a fair hearing. Ghosn said he was ready to stay for a long time in Lebanon, which does not allow the extradition of its nationals, and a source close to the 65-year-old has said his legal team is pushing for him to be tried in the country. In addition to the Interpol warrant, Ghosn was also questioned over a formal legal complaint filed against him by a group of Lebanese lawyers who accuse him of "normalization" with Israel over a visit he made there in 2008. The prosecutor released him with the same condition, that he keep the authorities aware of his place of residence, the sources said. There was no immediate statement from the prosecutor's office. In his comments to MTV, Ghosn's lawyer Jaoude said a statement would be issued by Ghosn's team later. Ghosn said on Wednesday he had made the trip as a French citizen and an executive of Renault to sign a contract with a state-backed Israeli firm to sell electric vehicles, and had been obliged to go because the board had requested it.

Next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander spied for the first time

Having been around relatively unchanged since the 2014 model year, it's about time that we're finally seeing a new generation of Mitsubishi Outlander crossover. This is the first prototype we've seen, and it's rather thinly disguised. From what we can tell, it will draw heavily from the Engelberg Tourer concept that was shown at this year's Geneva Motor Show (we still find that name strange, by the way). The next-generation Outlander's grille seems to have the now-trademark broad, metallic grille shared with the Eclipse Cross and recently refreshed Outlander Sport. It also has lights that spear off the top corners of the grille. In this application, they appear to simply be daytime running lights. The main illumination probably comes from the large rounded lamps below them. The grille and the shapes of the lights match the Engelberg concept, too. Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept View 12 Photos Also matching the Engelberg Tourer is the side profile. We can see that the roof panel is separated from the rest of the body, making it perfect for contrasting colors like those on the concept. The glass area kicks up at the rear just before the vertical edge at the rear. This creates a thick, upright D-pillar, just like the concept. The back of the Outlander is pretty clean and simple, and the taillights are thin and wide. The taillights extend forward into sharp points. All of these features are similar to the concept. With so much of the exterior mirroring Mitsubishi's earlier concept, we're expecting the Outlander to use a similar, if not identical powertrain. The concept featured a plug-in hybrid powertrain very much like the current Outlander PHEV, but with a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine rather than a 2.0-liter unit. Electric range was an estimated 43 miles, which also improves on the existing Outlander PHEV's 22 miles. This all seems very plausible for the new production Outlander PHEV. The powertrain for non-hybrid Outlanders is more of a mystery. Base models may get the Eclipse Cross's turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4. We'll have to wait to see if the V6 option sticks around. This prototype looks pretty far along in development, so we expect to see the production model shown within a year.

Carlos Ghosn: What misconduct is he accused of?

TOKYO — Japan was shocked by news that Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was widely respected for rescuing the carmaker from near bankruptcy, was arrested on Monday for alleged financial misconduct. Nissan said that Ghosn, who is also chairman and CEO of Renault and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors, would be fired from his post as Nissan chairman on Thursday. What is Carlos Ghosn accused of? Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa told a packed press conference on Monday night that the company had found that Ghosn had been using corporate money for personal purposes and under-reporting his income for years in official company filings to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Another board member, Greg Kelly, was also deeply involved in the misconduct, Nissan said. Saikawa said he couldn't elaborate as the cases are being investigated by prosecutors, who have declined to comment. Prosecutors said that Ghosn and Kelly conspired to understate Ghosn's compensation over five years starting in fiscal 2010 as being about half of the actual 9.998 billion yen ($88.9 million). Public broadcaster NHK said Nissan paid billions of yen to buy and renovate homes for Ghosn in Rio, Beirut, Paris and Amsterdam, citing unnamed sources. The properties had no business purpose and were not listed as benefits in TSE filings, NHK said. Ghosn, 64, has not been formally charged. The Asahi newspaper reported that he and Kelly had submitted to prosecutors' questions after getting off a plane on Monday afternoon at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Saikawa confirmed they had been arrested. Ghosn and Kelly have not been seen since, and their exact whereabouts are not known. Suspects are typically taken to the Tokyo Detention Center, which is linked to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. How did this come to light? Nissan's Saikawa said Ghosn's alleged improprieties came to light through a whistleblower, after which the company began an internal investigation and informed prosecutors. Japanese media reports say the informant is a member of Nissan's legal department. The Asahi reported, without citing sources, that the informant gave the prosecutors information in a plea bargain, implying the person may have provided evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence. How much control did Carlos Ghosn have? After becoming CEO of struggling Nissan in 2001, Ghosn was hailed as the automaker's savior by implementing an aggressive cost-cutting plan.