TALKS AS AUTHORITIES IN JAPAN
RE-ARREST CARLOS GHOSN EARLY
THIS MORNING IN TOKYO.
GHOSN IS FACING NEW CHARGES OF
FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT.
HE DENIES ANY WRONGDOING.
I SPOKE WITH GHOSN THIS WEEK.
HE SAID IN A STATEMENT LAST
NIGHT, MY ARREST THIS MORNING IS
OUTRAGEOUS AND ARBITRARY.
IT'S PART OF ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY
SOME INDIVIDUALS AT NISSAN TO
SILENCE ME BY MISLEADING THE
PROSECUTORS.
I WILL NOT BE BROKEN.
I AM INNOCENT OF THE GROUNDLESS
CHARGES AND ACCUSATIONS AGAINST
ME.
JOINING THE CONVERSATION THIS
MORNING IS DAGEN McDOWELL, THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL ASSISTANT
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR, JAMES
FREE MAN AND ERIN HE'LL
FREE MAN AND ERIN EE'LL
FREE MAN AND ERIN ELMLL
FREE MAN AND ERIN ELMORE.
WE SCHEDULED THIS INTERVIEW WITH
CARLOS GHOSN AT 5:30 P.M. LAST
NIGHT.
I CAME BACK TO WORK,ISM SITTING
THERE, GETTING READY FOR THE
INTERVIEW.
I'M TEXTING WITH HIS LAWYER, HIS
LAWYER SAYS OKAY, HE'S GOING TO
BE CALLING IN MOMENTARILY.
NOW IT'S 10 UNTIL 6:00.
WE'RE WAITING FOR CARLOS TO CALL
IN TO DISCUSS THE INTERVIEW.
I HAD ALREADY SPOKEN WITH CARLOS
GHOSN OVER THE WEEKEND ON
SATURDAY AND HE DISCUSSED THE
CHARGES, TOLD ME EVERYTHING THAT
YOU'VE HEARD HERE FIRST FOR THE
LAST 100 DAYS, THAT THIS WAS A
COUP, HE'S DENYING ALL OF THE
CHARGES AND SAYING THAT HE IS
INNOCENT.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I GET THIS TEXT
FROM THE LAWYERS, 10 AGENTS JUST
SHOWED UP, THEY TOOK HIM INTO A
ROOM, THEY'RE IN THE ROOM ALONE
WITH CAROL, HIS WIFE, CAROL AND
CARLOS GHOAN THE
CARLOS GHOSN THE
CARLOS GHOSN IHE
CARLOS GHOSN INE
CARLOS GHOSN IN THE ROOM WITH
PROSECUTORS, TALKING FOR A FEW
MINUTES AND THEN WE SEE THEM
TAKE CARLOS IN THE CAR AND DRIVE
AWAY.
THEY TOOK HIM TO THE
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND THEY
INTEAR GREATED
INTERR GREATED
INTERROGREATED
INTERROGATATED
INTERROGATEDED
INTERROGATED HIM.
WE WERE UNCLEAR IF HE WAS GOING
BACK IN DETENTION OR IF THEY
WOULD QUESTION HIM.
AGENTS STARTED INTERROGATING HIS
WIFE, CAROL GHOSN.
PART OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE AS
YOU REMEMBER, HE PUT OUT THAT
TWEET A WEEK AGO, SAYING I'M
GOING TO -- IT'S TIME FOR ME TO
TELL THE TRUTH, TO TELL EVERYONE
WHAT'S GOING ON, THAT HE WANTED
TO GIVE A PRESS CONFERENCE, HE
WAS EXPECTING TO GIVE A PRESENCE
CONFERENCE ON APRIL 11th.
THEY DID NOT LIKE THE FACT THAT
HE WAS GOING TO DISCUSS
PUBLICLY, I BELIEVE, HIS PHONES
OBVIOUSLY ARE TAPPED, THE PHONE
IS A PHONE FROM HIS LAWYER AND I
BELIEVE THEY ARE PROBABLY
TAPPING CAROL GHOSN'S PHONE AS
WELL.
BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY KNEW THAT
HE WAS ABOUT TO TALK TO THE
MEDIA.
HE WAS GOING TO DO THIS
INTERVIEW WITH ME.
AND SO THEY WENT RIGHT WHEN WE
WERE GOING TO DO THE INTERVIEW,
AT 10 UNTIL 6:00 IN THE MORNING.
THEN THEY WENT BACK, THEY INTIER
INTERROGATED CAROL GHOSN.
SHE WANTED TO GO TO THE
BATHROOM.
THEY WENT IN THE BATHROOM WITH
HER.
SHE WANTED TO TAKE A SHOWER, A
FEMALE PROSECUTOR STAYED IN THE
BATHROOM N. THE SHOWER, WHILE
SHE WAS IN THE SHOWER, TAKING A
SHOWER.
THEY WANT TO BREAK HIM.
THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IN JAPAN IS
SUCH THAT THEY WANT A CONFESSION
ON ALL OF THESE CHARGES,
SOMETHING THAT HE IS REFUSING TO
GIVE.
THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY
SITUATION, IT'S GETTING WORSE.
HE IS ONCE AGAIN BEHIND BARS.
HE COULD BE THERE ANOTHER -- HE
COULD BE THERE 10 DAYS AND THEY
COULD ADD ANOTHER 10 DAYS TO IT,
MEANING HE WILL BE THERE ANOTHER
20 DAYS BEFORE HE CAN APPLY FOR
BAIL TO COME OUT BEFORE A TRIAL.
ALL CARLOS GHOSN IS ASKING FOR
IS A FAIR TRIAL.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE'S GOING
TO GET ONE.
>> IN JAPAN THERE'S A 99%
CONVICTION RATE.
THE ODDS ARE REALLY STACKED
AGAINST HIM HERE.
HE'S ALSO ASKING THAT THE OTHER
DEFENDANTS, HIS COLLEAGUE, GREG
KELLY AND NISSAN WILL BE IN A
SEPARATE TRIAL SO HE WILL GET A
MORE FAIR TRIAL.
WHAT I HEARD FROM JAPANESE LEGAL
EXPERTS IS THAT ONCE YOU'VE BEEN
RELEASED ON BAIL ONCE, YOU'RE
NOT LIKE THROW BE ARRESTED ONCE,
TWICE OR THREE TIMES WHICH
HAPPENED TO HIM HERE.
THE ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST
HIM.
IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR HIM.
MARIA: HE WASN'T GOING
ANYWHERE.
HE WAS NOT A FLIGHT RISK.
HE WAS IN AN APARTMENT THAT WAS
APPROVED BY THE JAPANESE
GOVERNMENT.
HE WASN'T VIOLATING ANY PAROLE
BUT THEY WENT AND THEY TOOK HIM.
THIS NEW CHARGE THEY'RE TRYING
TO MAKE IS THAT HE SENT MONEY TO
A COMPANY IN OWE
A COMPANY IN OMAN JORDAN AND
THEN THEY PAID HIM TO BUY A
YACHT, TO SPEND MONEY ON
PERSONAL ITEMS.
THAT CANNOT BE PROVEN.
MONEY IS FUNCTION
MONEY IS FUNGIION
MONEY IS FUNGIBLN
MONEY IS FUNGIBLE.
THERE'S NO WAY TO SAY THE MONEY
PAID TO THIS DEALER IN OMAN WAS
THE MONEY HE USED TO BUY THIS
YACHT.
IT'S A HARD CASE TO MAKE.
HIS TEAM BELIEVES THAT ONE OF
THE REASONS THAT THEY WENT BACK
TO ARREST HIM OVERNIGHT IS
BECAUSE THEIR CASE IS FALLING
APART.
NOW, CARLOS GHOSN TOLD ME ON THE
PHONE OVER THE WEEKEND, THE
REASON THAT THIS ALL HAPPENED,
THIS COUP HAPPENED UNDERNEATH
HIM IS BECAUSE THE COMPANY WAS
NOT DOING WELL.
THE COMPANY WAS COLLAPSING.
HIS UNDERLINGS THOUGHT THEY
WOULD BE FIRED AND THAT HE WAS
GOING TO MERGE THE COMPANY WITH
RENAULT.
HE TOLD ME HE WASN'T PLANNING ON
MERGING THE COMPANY WITH
RENAULT.
HOWEVER, HE WAS PLANNING A LOT
MORE CONSOLIDATION AND HE WAS IN
FACT HAVING TO FIRE PEOPLE.
HE HAD TO CONSOLIDATE BECAUSE
THE COMPANY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
STOCK CHART, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
LOSSES, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
DECLINE IN REVENUE, THE COMPANY
WAS NOT DOING WELL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW NISSAN DOES ANY
BETTER.
I MEAN, I'M SURE THERE WILL BE
ACTIVISTS THAT WANT TO BOYCOTT
NISSAN, BOYCOTT JAPAN.
FOR A FOREIGNER OPERATEING IN
JAPAN, WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE
TO YOU, JAMES?
THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY.
>> YOU HAD A SITUATION WHERE THE
JAPANESE MANAGERS AT THE COMPANY
DID NOT WANT HIM IN CHARGE, DID
NOT WANT TO BE RUN BY A EUROPEAN
COMPANY.
SO I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CASE.
ALONG WITH OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF
PEOPLE AS THEY GOT TO KNOW THE
JAPANESE LEGAL SYSTEM OVER THE
LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, SEEING HOW
LONG SOMEONE CAN BE DETAINED
WITHOUT ACCESS TO A LAWYER,
PRETTY SHOCKING.
BUT ALSO THIS QUESTION OF WHY
NOW, WHY -- HE'S BEEN RUNNING
THE ORGANIZATION FOR YEARS AND
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN THEY
SEE THIS POTENTIAL CONSOLIDATION
OF POWER IN EUROPE, NOT IN
JAPAN, THE JAPANESE EXECUTIVES
COME UP WITH THESE CHARGES
AGAINST HIM.
VERY SUS.
MARIA: THEY'RE COMING UP WITH
REASONS TO QUESTION CAROL GHOSN.
THEY TOOK HER PASSPORT.
THEY TOOK HER PHONE.
SHE NO LONGER HAS THE PHONE.
HE NO LONGER HAS A PHONE.
THEY SAID SOURCES CLOSE TO CAROL
SAID THAT THEY WANTED HER TO
VOLUNTARILY ANSWER QUESTIONS.
WHEN I WANTED TO USE THE
BATHROOM, THE OFFICER ENTERED
THE BATHROOM WITH ME AND DID A
BODY CHECK.
WHEN I WANTED TO TAKE A SHOWER,
A FEMALE PROSECUTOR STAYED IN
THE SHOWER WITH HER WHILE SHE
SHOURD.
THEY WANTED TO HUMILIATE AND
INTIMIDATE HER AND THEY WANT TO
INTIMIDATE CARLOS GHOSN INTO
CONFESSING.
THIS WHAT IS THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
LET'S BREAK HIM SO THAT HE
ADMITS TO ALL OF THIS, THEN HE