‘Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn’ documentary series coming
Carlos Ghosn – the former CEO of Nissan and Renault who fled Japan while on home detention for allegedly misusing corporate funds – will be the centre of a new Apple TV documentary series, detailing his spectacular rise and fall in the auto industry.
Apple TV has announced it will release a four-part documentary series about Carlos Ghosn next month – set to include interviews with the former CEO of Nissan and Renault who fled Japan while under house arrest, flying to his homeland of Lebanon in a large box on a private jet.
Exclusive to the Apple TV streaming service, Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn is due to be released on August 25 – becoming the latest documentary to explore the rise and fall of the Brazilian-born, French-Lebanese national who was arrested by Japanese authorities in 2018.
Nissan alleged its former CEO had under-reported his income, diverted corporate investment funds for private use, and misused company money – claims which Mr Ghosn has denied since they were made public.
The four-part series is the second documentary focusing on Mr Ghosn to be released in the past year – following Netflix’s Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn which debuted in November 2022.
Though the 95-minute Netflix documentary was based on archival footage and interviews with those who were personally and professionally close to Mr Ghosn, Apple TV’s four-part series will include interviews with the former executive – as well as those who helped him escape Japan.
While the story of Mr Ghosn’s escape from Japan made international headlines, his rise to the top of the car industry – and subsequent arrest – is straight out of a Hollywood film script.
Between 1999 and 2001, Mr Ghosn ascended from Nissan’s Chief Operating Officer to president and finally Chief Executive Officer, becoming instrumental in the formation of the Renault-Nissan Alliance (later the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance).
In 2005, Mr Ghosn was appointed as Renault’s president before taking the CEO role in 2009 – becoming the first person to run two Fortune 500 companies (Nissan and Renault) at the same time.
Mr Ghosn stepped down as Nissan CEO in 2017, though he remained chairman until he was fired from the board in April 2019 – six months after being arrested by Japanese authorities.
Mr Ghosn completed two stints in jail across a combined total of 130 days, paying a bail of 1 billion yen (more than $10.5 million in Australian currency) before being placed under house arrest in April 2019.
On December 29, 2019, Mr Ghosn escaped from home detention and fled the country, aided by a US father and son team – Michael and Peter Taylor – who hid the former executive in a large musical instrument box on wheels, loading the former executive onto a private jet.
Despite also holding French and Brazilian citizenship, Mr Ghosn fled to his homeland of Lebanon which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.
In July 2021, Michael and Peter Taylor were sentenced to jail time in Japan for assisting Mr Ghosn’s escape, receiving two-year and 20-month sentences respectively.
Five international arrest warrants were reportedly issued by a French magistrate in April 2022, though Ghosn continues to live a relatively normal life as a free man in Lebanon.
In June 2023, Mr Ghosn filed a lawsuit in a Lebanese court against Nissan – accusing the Japanese car-maker of defamation, slander, and libel against the former automotive executive.
The lawsuit also alleges fabrication of material evidence by Nissan and another 12 individuals and two companies.
Mr Ghosn is seeking “$US588 million ($AU866 million) in lost remuneration, and another $500 million $AU737 million) in moral damage” – representing one of the largest lawsuits against a car-maker in history.
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