Japan orders tightening of immigration procedures after Ghosn flees country

TOKYO (Reuters): Japan’s Justice Minister Masako Mori said yesterday the Ministry has ordered tightening of immigration procedures in the wake of the escape of ousted Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn. 

FILE PHOTO: Carlos Ghosn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Renault, attends the company's annual shareholders meeting in La Defense business district, near Paris, April 29, 2008. French carmaker Renault sticks to its target of a 2008 operating profit margin of 4.5 percent, despite a weaker dollar and pound and a faster than forecast rise in raw material prices, Ghosn told the annual general meeting. REUTERS

Mori also said in a statement Ghosn’s “apparently illegal” departure was very regrettable and promised a thorough investigation to uncover truth, adding that there was no record of his leaving Japan.

She also said that Ghosn’s skipping bail cannot be justified and that the court has revoked his bail.

Ghosn became an international fugitive after he revealed last Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system in Japan, where he faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes.