A business program at a Lebanese university USEK was launched on Tuesday by the now fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn in what was his first public appearance in months.
The former chief of the Japanese auto company Nissan spent 130 days in prison in Japan after he was arrested in November 2018 in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct. He later jumped bail and smuggled himself out of the country in a dramatic fashion late last year.
Back in January, the 66-year-old executive had made his first public appearance in Lebanon since jumping bail as he claimed that he had been made a victim of of a plot by executives at Nissan and Japanese officials.
Ghosn also participated in a press conference to launch new business courses at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, north of Beirut on Tuesday. He however did not answer any questions related to the charges that are pending against him in Japan or about his former business partner Greg Kelly who pleaded not guilty on September 15 as his trial opened in Japan.
"I am not going to deviate this conference from its centre and the centre is USEK," said the tanned Brazilian-born businessman, who also holds French and Lebanese nationalities.
He instead talked about a new executive management program and two other entrepreneurship and information technology courses which according to him were designed to "serving the country".
Currently, the economic situation in Lebanon is pathetic with the country undergoing its worst economic crisis in decades.
Ghosn is credited to have turned around the Japanese and French carmakers Nissan and Renault by forging a partnership between the two companies. He now plans programs to coach executives, offer technology training and help start-ups to create jobs.
“Obviously I am not interested in politics but I will dedicate time and effort into supporting Lebanon during this difficult period,” he told the media at the weekend prior to thee formal launch of his new university program.
“This is about creating jobs, employment and entrepreneurs to allow society to take its role in the reconstruction of the country,” Ghosn said speaking at the press conference.
The challenge for Lebanon was “the restoration of confidence” not a lack of assets, he said and added that infrastructure, land and hydrocarbon resources were owned by the state. He said that the country now needed to execute a recovery plan.
“If you bring back trust, money will come,” he said. “You can have an excellent plan for Lebanon but if you don’t execute it you are not even at starting point.”
The business program aimed to offer practical help, said Ghosn and informed that the USEK had approached him within weeks of him arriving in Lebanon at the end of December.
“The role model is my experience, what I think are the basic needs of a top executive in a very competitive environment,” Ghosn said.
(Source:www.channelnewsasia.com)
The former chief of the Japanese auto company Nissan spent 130 days in prison in Japan after he was arrested in November 2018 in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct. He later jumped bail and smuggled himself out of the country in a dramatic fashion late last year.
Back in January, the 66-year-old executive had made his first public appearance in Lebanon since jumping bail as he claimed that he had been made a victim of of a plot by executives at Nissan and Japanese officials.
Ghosn also participated in a press conference to launch new business courses at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, north of Beirut on Tuesday. He however did not answer any questions related to the charges that are pending against him in Japan or about his former business partner Greg Kelly who pleaded not guilty on September 15 as his trial opened in Japan.
"I am not going to deviate this conference from its centre and the centre is USEK," said the tanned Brazilian-born businessman, who also holds French and Lebanese nationalities.
He instead talked about a new executive management program and two other entrepreneurship and information technology courses which according to him were designed to "serving the country".
Currently, the economic situation in Lebanon is pathetic with the country undergoing its worst economic crisis in decades.
Ghosn is credited to have turned around the Japanese and French carmakers Nissan and Renault by forging a partnership between the two companies. He now plans programs to coach executives, offer technology training and help start-ups to create jobs.
“Obviously I am not interested in politics but I will dedicate time and effort into supporting Lebanon during this difficult period,” he told the media at the weekend prior to thee formal launch of his new university program.
“This is about creating jobs, employment and entrepreneurs to allow society to take its role in the reconstruction of the country,” Ghosn said speaking at the press conference.
The challenge for Lebanon was “the restoration of confidence” not a lack of assets, he said and added that infrastructure, land and hydrocarbon resources were owned by the state. He said that the country now needed to execute a recovery plan.
“If you bring back trust, money will come,” he said. “You can have an excellent plan for Lebanon but if you don’t execute it you are not even at starting point.”
The business program aimed to offer practical help, said Ghosn and informed that the USEK had approached him within weeks of him arriving in Lebanon at the end of December.
“The role model is my experience, what I think are the basic needs of a top executive in a very competitive environment,” Ghosn said.
(Source:www.channelnewsasia.com)
