Carlos Ghosn doesn't know much about filmmaking, but seems to want to learn when arranging a meeting with producer John Lesher in December.

At a high-end residential home in Tokyo, Japan on December 12, 2019, former Nissan Group president Carlos Ghosn discussed with John Lesher, the award-winning Hollywood film producer Hollywood. The film "Birdman" is about a film that recounts his life, who has risen to become an international automotive tycoon, as well as his fight with "political oppression".

The car industry tycoon once thought he was unfairly imprisoned by Japanese officials and had to fight to prove his innocence, a source familiar with the matter said.

The "script" theme given by Ghosn to Lesher is redemption, with "villain" as the Japanese justice system. The source said the conversation didn't go too deep into the issues. However, no one doubts that Ghosn is preparing to implement a plan that makes everyone shocked.

The former Nissan chairman, who is facing a trial in April on charges of perjury to income and self-interest, defected from Japan and entered Lebanon on December 30, despite his strict surveillance. in Tokyo awaiting trial. "I will no longer be held hostage by the Japanese judicial system. It's a system of accusing, discriminating, and denying basic human rights," Ghosn said Tuesday. twelfth.

According to NY Times commentator Ben Dooley, the former Nissan chairman's fugitive converged all the elements of a Hollywood-style movie, including a private plane that took the "protagonist" to flee, many books. passports, rumors of shady forces and related denials of the powerful.

Ghosn departed from Osaka, Japan on the evening of December 29 by private jet, transiting in Istanbul, Turkey before arriving in Beirut, Lebanon at dawn on December 30 and reuniting with Carole's wife. Even the pilot didn't know Ghosn was on the plane.

Turkey then arrested 7 people, including 4 pilots to investigate the incident. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) also sent a red notice to Lebanon, demanding the arrest of former Nissan chairman, who has three nationalities of France, Lebanon and Brazil.

Japanese officials continued their silence and tried to find answers about the defection. Ghosn's team of lawyers said they were holding all three of his passports, but unnamed sources revealed a judge had allowed Ghosn to bring a copy of his French passport.

It's unclear exactly when Ghosn started planning to flee. However, he is thought to have contemplated how to end the "battle" with the Japanese judicial system in his final months in Tokyo, when arranging a conversation with film producer Lesher and a few others. The source said during the discussions, Ghosn wondered if "a movie" could make him more sympathetic.

Ghosn wanted to find out how people in similar situations he fought back, even if they failed. In July, he met Jake Adelstein, an American journalist in charge of articles on the Japanese criminal justice system, to discuss the prospects of his trial.

Adelstein recently published a book about Mark Karpeles, the former chief executive of crypto exchange Mt. Gox, who spent more than 5 years dealing with the Japanese legal system after being accused of falsifying data, embezzling and distrusting. In March, Karpeles was found guilty on the first charge and received a two-and-a-half-year sentence.

The American journalist said Ghosn rushed to ask him about the trial of the former French CEO, trying to find similarities with his case and learn about the approach of Japanese prosecutors. "I told him that they were not interested in justice but just wanted to win," Adelstein said.

"The suspended prison sentence is the best verdict he can get," the journalist added, warning that in the worst case, the former Nissan chairman could be stuck in Japan for the rest of his life. A source familiar with the matter said Ghosn was convinced that he was never tried fairly in Japan, where the conviction rate was up to 99%.

Ghosn also sought to meet Takafumi Horie, a businessman who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating securities laws. In a video posted on YouTube on December 31, Horie said Ghosn met him in early January 2020 through a third party. "He wanted to consult with me, but unfortunately our dinner was canceled," Horie said.

These developments raised suspicions about how Japan handled Ghosn's case. He was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and fired by Nissan for making less than real wages and transferred $ 5 million from the group's funds into a personal profitable account. Ghosn lost a total of $ 13.8 million in bail to be released on bail.

The former Nissan chairman and his defense lawyers accused the arrest of a conspiracy to overthrow the group's forces, in order to prevent him from settling the merger of French carmaker Renault with Nissan, one of the "employees". jewel "of the Japanese automobile industry.

Before being released on bail, Ghosn had to face solicitors' interrogations alone without the presence of a lawyer, different from the way the United States and many other countries treat corporate leaders with adherents. financial crimes. Junichiro Hironaka, Ghosn's chief lawyer, has spent months condemning the judicial system like Japan's "hostage", in an attempt to attract public opinion.

According to commentator Dooley, regardless of the truth about the allegations against Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan still found himself at a serious disadvantage before the trial took place. He was arrested and prosecuted four times, detained and interrogated continuously for more than 130 days, until bail remained banned for almost all interaction with his son and wife.

Ghosn's lawyers accuse Nissan of having a close relationship with the Japanese prosecutor. Many internal documents also show that there are deep conflicts of interest in the corporation, potentially affecting the investigation results. However, Nissan insists the investigation process was conducted in a right manner. The Tokyo prosecutor's office also denied criticism of Ghosn's treatment.

Despite the challenges, Ghosn has repeatedly claimed to prove his innocence in court and spent most of his time discussing with Hironaka in the months before his defection, sources said. According to neighbors, in his spare time, Ghosn often buys things at the local market or eats croissants at his favorite French cafe on the corner. His daughters often visit, even traveling with him to the ancient capital of Kyoto.

However, Ghosn, who has been easy to go anywhere in the world, seems unable to tolerate bail restrictions. All his activities were recorded by surveillance cameras, phone use was restricted and he was not allowed to use the Internet outside the lawyer's office. In recent months, the court only allowed him to make two short phone calls with his wife and was also supervised by a lawyer.

The source said Ghosn's attitude changed drastically on Christmas day, when the court refused to request a holiday with his wife. Instead, he must attend a debate between his team of lawyers and prosecutors about the details of the trial. There, Ghosn learned that the case could be tried in stages and lasted for years, prompting him to believe that Japan intended to force him to plead guilty or keep him indefinitely.

"Based on Ghosn's circumstances, it seems that his decision to flee came from a sense of despair," said Nobuo Gohara, a former prosecutor. Ghosn and his lawyers are considering transferring the case to Lebanon for trial instead of Japan, sources said.

The former Nissan chairman is probably hoping the "movie" of his life will have a happy ending in Lebanon.