Tuesday 9th April 2019

'This is a plot; this is about backstabbing'

Carlos Ghosn takes no prisoners in first public address. Before being imprisoned again...

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The Ghosn arrest story has produced so many twists and turns that we've almost become accustomed to it as the industry's background noise (not unlike the emissions scandal, it appears to be rumbling interminably on and on). The latest twist though is too spectacular to ignore: a video message produced by the man himself, and apparently recorded in anticipation of him being re-arrested ahead of a tell-all press conference on Thursday - an event which duly occurred.

Consequently, the 7-minute video - Ghosn's first public address since his detention last year - has a weird, message-in-a-bottle feel to it. Primarily, of course, he professes his innocence: "The first message is I'm innocent. It's not new, you have heard it from me in January, I repeat it today. I'm innocent of all the charges which have been brought against me. And I'm also innocent of all the accusations that came around these charges that are all bias, taken out of context, twisted in a way to create a personage of greed and a personage of dictatorship."

His second point is that he "loves Japan, and loves Nissan." He is at pains to remind the viewer that he committed himself to the revival of Nissan, and his affection for the brand is "untainted" even now. The bullet he saves for the third point: "This is a conspiracy. This is not about specific events, this is not about greed, this is not about dictatorship - this is about a plot, this is about conspiracy, this is about backstabbing; that's what we're talking about."

 

Ghosn goes on to paint a familiar picture: that he has been framed by colleagues who were threatened by the likely next step in the firm's alliance. He names no one in particular, but rounds on them for not having Nissan's best interests at heart or for having an alternative 'vision for the future'.

According to Reuters, the video was edited to remove specific accusations on legal grounds, but Ghosn's 'sickening' contempt for the firm's current leadership remains transparent. He has also been critical of Japanese prosecutors, who are free to hold suspects for up to 22 days and interrogate them without the presence of their lawyers.

Ghosn's latest arrest - on the basis of fresh allegations - is said to be highly unusual, and returns him to the Tokyo detention centre where he has already been incarcerated for 108 days. A statement released through his lawyers described his return to custody as, "another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try to break me? I will not be broken."

[Onehp]

Not the same thing, but I know two very talented surgeons that worked their asses off and saved lives all the time, with much support of their department at large, only to be bullied and backstabbed out of their jobs by 'collegues' who were afraid to not advance or get the jobs they hoped for...

Whatever went on here, let's hope some justice prevails. Eventually.

[lestiq]

Onehp said:

Not the same thing, but I know two very talented surgeons that worked their asses off and saved lives all the time, with much support of their department at large, only to be bullied and backstabbed out of their jobs by 'collegues' who were afraid to not advance or get the jobs they hoped for...

Whatever went on here, let's hope some justice prevails. Eventually.

Yeah, my same thought process too. I'm keeping an open mind in 2019, nothing if anything is as it seems anymore.

[IMI A]

lestiq said:

Onehp said:

Not the same thing, but I know two very talented surgeons that worked their asses off and saved lives all the time, with much support of their department at large, only to be bullied and backstabbed out of their jobs by 'collegues' who were afraid to not advance or get the jobs they hoped for...

Whatever went on here, let's hope some justice prevails. Eventually.

Yeah, my same thought process too. I'm keeping an open mind in 2019, nothing if anything is as it seems anymore.

+3

[Dale487]

IMI A said:

lestiq said:

Onehp said:

Not the same thing, but I know two very talented surgeons that worked their asses off and saved lives all the time, with much support of their department at large, only to be bullied and backstabbed out of their jobs by 'collegues' who were afraid to not advance or get the jobs they hoped for...

Whatever went on here, let's hope some justice prevails. Eventually.

Yeah, my same thought process too. I'm keeping an open mind in 2019, nothing if anything is as it seems anymore.

+3

I'm prepared to be surprised what the outcome of this but doesn't the Japanese legal system have a 99% successful prosecution rate?

[wab172uk]

Does sound like they have it in for him.

I'd say the truth will come out, but like I fear the Japanese justice system will prevent that.

[robj4]

May or may not be relevant if and when a large enough proportion of the facts in this case are divulged, but this book about one mans experience of falling out of favour with a Japanese corporation is scary stuff. A good read though.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/187/187603/exposur...

[big_rob_sydney]

CG is big enough and has enough resources at his disposal, that I would be surprised if he didn't get a fair trial. Think about it; he can release a ton of material in the public domain, and if prosecutors play games, they will look pretty silly in public.

Japanese culture is very much about "face" and respect. I would absolutely expect and believe they would behave honourably, especially with such a high profile public situation.

[Dale487]

big_rob_sydney said:

CG is big enough and has enough resources at his disposal, that I would be surprised if he didn't get a fair trial. Think about it; he can release a ton of material in the public domain, and if prosecutors play games, they will look pretty silly in public.

Japanese culture is very much about "face" and respect. I would absolutely expect and believe they would behave honourably, especially with such a high profile public situation.

Surely if CG releases information about either Nissan or the Japanese government which portrays them in a bad light, it'll reflect badly on him too - as he should have procedures int place to know about any wrong doing internally and stopped it or Nissan colluded with the government. I don't feel CG will gain anything & drag himself further into the mire.

[big_rob_sydney]

Dale487 said:

big_rob_sydney said:

CG is big enough and has enough resources at his disposal, that I would be surprised if he didn't get a fair trial. Think about it; he can release a ton of material in the public domain, and if prosecutors play games, they will look pretty silly in public.

Japanese culture is very much about "face" and respect. I would absolutely expect and believe they would behave honourably, especially with such a high profile public situation.

Surely if CG releases information about either Nissan or the Japanese government which portrays them in a bad light, it'll reflect badly on him too - as he should have procedures int place to know about any wrong doing internally and stopped it or Nissan colluded with the government. I don't feel CG will gain anything & drag himself further into the mire.

I don't know any details, but I think if someone tells the truth, that shouldn't be a negative. You, I, CG, or anyone else, should be entitled to tell the truth, without fear or favour. Should consequences flow from telling the truth, that's a bridge that can be crossed if and when that happens.

But when it comes to corporate malfeasance, I prefer the truth, rather than lies.

[Dale487]

big_rob_sydney said:

Dale487 said:

big_rob_sydney said:

CG is big enough and has enough resources at his disposal, that I would be surprised if he didn't get a fair trial. Think about it; he can release a ton of material in the public domain, and if prosecutors play games, they will look pretty silly in public.

Japanese culture is very much about "face" and respect. I would absolutely expect and believe they would behave honourably, especially with such a high profile public situation.

Surely if CG releases information about either Nissan or the Japanese government which portrays them in a bad light, it'll reflect badly on him too - as he should have procedures int place to know about any wrong doing internally and stopped it or Nissan colluded with the government. I don't feel CG will gain anything & drag himself further into the mire.

I don't know any details, but I think if someone tells the truth, that shouldn't be a negative. You, I, CG, or anyone else, should be entitled to tell the truth, without fear or favour. Should consequences flow from telling the truth, that's a bridge that can be crossed if and when that happens.

But when it comes to corporate malfeasance, I prefer the truth, rather than lies.

I do hope the truth comes out, but I suspect that with what I've read about the Japanese legal system regarding this case CG will be very lucky to be found innocent of all charges.

[Desert Dragon]

robj4 said:

May or may not be relevant if and when a large enough proportion of the facts in this case are divulged, but this book about one mans experience of falling out of favour with a Japanese corporation is scary stuff. A good read though.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/187/187603/exposur...

Not just a Japanese thing.

Can happen in the UK too which is frightening. Click on the link.

The officer in charge of the investigation allegedly described himself as a fanatical Rangers fan to a few of the defendants before they were suspects
and they are now suing the Police for circa £40,000,000.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17528676.four-...