Carlos Ghosn, a former head of Nissan Motor Co. who fled Japan after being charged with financial misconduct, said Tuesday he will launch an initiative to support education and economy in Lebanon.
Holding a rare press conference following his escape last year, Ghosn made the announcement in apparent response to local criticism of his weak presence in social contributions to the Middle Eastern country, which has been battered by an economic crisis as well as a devastating explosion in Beirut in early August.
Ghosn, who spent his childhood in Lebanon, said he is aiming to create jobs and support startups under the initiative with the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.
"The objective is obviously serving the institution...but also serving the country and the society," Ghosn said, underscoring that "one specific thing that Lebanon needs is creating jobs."
He refused to take any question about the allegations at Nissan.
Ghosn, who headed Nissan for nearly two decades, was arrested in November 2018 but jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in December last year.
He has said he escaped Japan's "rigged" justice system, and that he is innocent of allegations he misused company funds and understated his remuneration by billions of yen over a period of years.
The trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who was arrested and indicted on charges that he assisted Ghosn, began this month in Tokyo. Kelly has pleaded not guilty.
The Japanese government has requested Ghosn's extradition through Interpol, but the Lebanese government has indicated it is unlikely to hand him over. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon.
