Carlos Ghosn Photo by: BsBsBs [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
If you went into a coma on Christmas day, and just woke up now, the story of Carlos Ghosn is probably the one you’d have the hardest time believing. Sure, Donald Trump ordering the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani is certainly the scariest — and has taken the U.S. to the brink of war — but put a megalomaniac of questionable stability in charge of the world’s most powerful military, and these things just might happen. But the Ghosn story? That reads like the third act of a heist movie.
For those the somehow missed the story, Ghosn is the former Nissan chairman who was under house arrest in Japan, awaiting trail for financial wrongdoings. However, in a daring escape, the former auto boss reportedly absconded in a double-base case. That’s right, his wife organized a “concert” which saw ex-special forces soldiers pose as musicians bringing their “music equipment” by Japanese guards. Ghosn’s route to freedom included a stop in Turkey before landing in Lebanon, where he is a citizen.
Today Ghosn, who’s long protested his legal woes as part of a “rigged” justice system, held a press conference in Lebanon. There he blasted the Biglaw firm Latham & Watkins, blaming them, along with the government and Nissan, for his prosecution:
“It is the prosecutors aided and abetted by petty and vindictive individuals in the government and Nissan and the L&W [Latham & Watkins] law firm who are destroying Japan’s reputation on the global stage.”
Latham’s acted as Nissan’s outside counsel and conducted the company’s internal investigation into Ghosn’s dealings. This isn’t the first time that representation has come under fire:
Latham & Watkins previously was criticized by Nissan general counsel Ravinder Passi, who raised concerns that the company’s investigation into Ghosn was marred by conflicts of interest, the Wall Street Journal reported in September. Passi’s objections centered on the relationship between the firm and Hari Nada, a senior vice president at Nissan who reached a plea deal with prosecutors for his actions in the scandal, the newspaper said.
For its part, Latham is keeping quiet about the latest chapter in the legal thriller. The firm has not commented on Ghosn’s press conference.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).