Lebanon has received a red notice from Interpol against former auto industry executive Carlos Ghosn, based on an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities about a month ago, according to a senior judicial source who spoke to AFP. The source stated that "the public prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat received the red notice from Interpol... based on the French arrest warrant against Ghosn."
Last month, a court in the Nanterre suburb of Paris issued an international arrest warrant related to over $16.3 million in suspicious payments between the Renault-Nissan alliance, which Ghosn led, and an Omani company, according to prosecutors, allegations that Ghosn has denied.
The red notice puts Lebanese judiciary in a position to execute its content. According to the source, Oueidat "will determine within the coming days or early next week a date to summon Ghosn for questioning." Oueidat can "issue an immediate arrest warrant against Ghosn and notify the French authorities, requesting them to send his case file along with an extradition request, or he may decide to release him under conditions and prohibit him from traveling until the French file arrives and a final decision is made."
The judicial source anticipated that Lebanon would not agree to extradite Ghosn, a Lebanese citizen, to France, as the law prohibits the extradition of citizens to another country. However, if it deems that the crimes attributed to him are genuine and punishable under Lebanese law, he could be tried based on those charges in Lebanese courts. Interpol cannot issue arrest orders or initiate investigations or prosecutions, but international courts or member states can request the publication of a "red notice," while Lebanese laws do not permit the extradition of citizens to foreign countries for trial.
