'Ghosn had second French passport'

A prosecutor leaves the residence of Carlos Ghosn in Tokyo on Thursday. Pic/AFP

Tokyo: Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon to avoid a Japanese trial, had a second French passport, a source said Thursday, as authorities raided his Tokyo residence during a probe into the embarrassing security lapse.

Ghosn, who faced multiple charges of financial misconduct that he denies, got bail in April with strict conditions - including ban on overseas travel. How Ghosn escaped is unclear but he said through the Paris-based agency handling his PR, "The media reports saying my wife Carole and other family members played a role in my departure from Japan are falsehoods. I alone organised my departure."

His lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka has said lawyers hold three passports belonging to the tycoon, who has French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationality. But the court had allowed him to keep a second French passport as he needed one to travel in Japan, a source said. It was kept in a locked case with the code held by his lawyers, the source said. Ghosn entered Lebanon on a French passport, public broadcaster NHK said.

Lebanon's judiciary has received a red notice from Interpol for his arrest, state-run National News Agency reported. Turkey detained seven people for questioning, how he managed to transit via Istanbul on his way to Lebanon, news agency DHA reported.

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