Interpol sent a "red notice" to Lebanon, demanding the arrest of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn after he fled Japan.

A Lebanese judicial source said the "red notice" of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had been sent to Lebanese internal security forces, but had not been delivered to the judicial agency. Lebanese government officials have not commented on steps the country can take on the arrest.

Interpol's "red notice" is nearly as effective as an international arrest warrant. In previous cases when Lebanon received a red notice, the suspect was not arrested but had his passport confiscated and had to be bail.

The former chairman of Nissan Motor Corporation, a French, Lebanese and Brazilian national, was removed from Tokyo a few days ago by a private security company as planned for three months. Ghosn announced on December 31 that he went to Beirut, the Lebanese capital, to escape Japan's "fraudulent judicial system".

Flight data shows that Ghosn used two aircraft to enter Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Lebanon. Turkey today arrested seven people, including four pilots and three airport personnel, to investigate the former Nissan chairman illegally transiting in the country.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and faces four allegations, including hiding income and self-interest through payments to agents in the Middle East. Nissan fired him. Ghosn denied all charges.

Under bail terms, Ghosn is under house arrest in Tokyo and must install surveillance cameras at the entrance. He was not allowed to communicate with his wife, restricting internet use and other methods of communication.

Sources close to Ghosn said he decided to flee Japan after learning that his trial was delayed until April 2021 and that he was not allowed to speak to his wife on bail.

Lebanon has no extradition agreement with Japan. Ghosn lived in early childhood Lebanon, held large investments in banking, real estate and was widely supported in the country.