Was this Sousaphone case part of the underground airliner that
brought Carlos Ghosn to the relative freedom of life in Lebanon?
True or false: Fugitive
car maven Carlos Ghosn escaped from his mansion in Tokyo by hiding a musical
instrument case? Answer: who knows.
But when you think of Ghosn (rhymes with “bone,”) brass is not a
stretch. After all, he took the shaky
hidebound Nissan auto company of Japan and the hidebound shaky Renault auto
company of France and combined them in such a way as that everyone appeared to
be making a profit. An impossible task according to most.
But Ghosn did it.
Not as a merger or takeover. The companies are “allied” or “affiliated,” two
words that we know have rubber meanings. But it seems to be
working.
Earlier this week, Ghosn
(sounds like “groan” without the r) appeared in semi-public to defend his
secret mission to the Middle East. He would not disclose how the trip was
arranged. But this fella has more passports
than you have matches for your campfire.
His main thrust was that
he was railroaded by Evil Forces at Nissan who didn’t like his American-ish
management style and his lack of Japanese-ness. Of course no one at
Nissan will acknowledge this.
So they filed a bunch of
charges… misusing company funds, mingling of liabilities and debt and other
things finance-types pretend to understand. And, like more defendants
than you can count, he said he can’t possibly get a fair trial in Japan.
That’s possible.
Here are some facts: the prosecution wins more than 90% of similar cases
in Japanese courts. Tokyo police have some interview tactics that would
scare Dick Cheney into confessing he shot JFK. Japan is not a good place
to be arrested for a crime.
So, is Ghosn a fraudster?
A huckster? A brilliant businessman? A guy who is responsible for bringing new
life to automakers heading for the scrap yards halfway around the world from
each other? A guy who curls up small enough to fit inside a Sousaphone
case? None of the above? All of
the above?
Will he live out the
rest of his days confined to Lebanon, a country that never met a pressure group
it wouldn’t knuckle under to? Lebanon, acting on an advisory notice from
Interpol, tells Ghosn he cannot leave the country. Cannot?
He “couldn’t” leave Japan, either. That didn’t exactly work out.
Can Japan steal
him back? Does Tokyo really want to? Sure they do. But if this is a
face-saving contest, round one goes to Team Ghosn (Rhymes with drone.)
SHRAPNEL:
--The Sousaphone is
often mistakenly called a tuba, and it plays in the same semi-subaudible range
and is named for the bandleader and march writer John Philip Sousa who caused
its creation. The original versions’ bells pointed up, not out. If you played
one of those, you risked drowning if you marched in the rain.
--My social security
“benefit” rose by a few bucks in 2020. I guess I should write a thank you note
to trump. “Thanks for the raise, now… what’s the catch?”
I’m Wes Richards. My
opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Comments? please send to
wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2020
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