Photo/Illutration Reporters gather around Carlos Ghosn’s residence in central Beirut on Dec. 31. (Fumiaki Sonoyama)

Executives and retired senior officials at Nissan Motor Co. expressed shock, disappointment and an “I told you so” attitude over Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan to Lebanon.

A former senior official said he was jogging when learned about Ghosn’s departure through a call from a reporter.

He said he had heard that Lebanon would likely be Ghosn’s destination if he were to flee from Japan because the country does not have an extradition treaty with Tokyo.

“I did not expect that possibility to become true,” he said.

Ghosn, 65, the Brazilian-born former chairman of the automaker, released a statement on Dec. 31 that said he was in Lebanon, the country where he grew up in. He was required to remain in Japan ahead of his trial in spring on financial misconduct charges.

Ghosn is known to have used a mansion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Nissan’s unit in the Netherlands, Zi-A, funded the purchase and repair of the property.

A former Nissan executive said the mansion is still owned by Zi-A, and that Ghosn’s wife lives there.

“Even if the Nissan management wants to sell the property, it cannot,” the former executive said. “Ghosn is viewed as a hero in Lebanon. He must be under the belief that he will be protected in Lebanon.”

A senior official who still works for Nissan said he was alerted to Ghosn’s escape by a company email.

Ghosn asserted that he would plead innocent to all the charges against him, including a suspected violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law for underreporting his remuneration in Nissan’s securities reports.

“Is exiting from Japan his way of asserting his innocence?” the official asked.

The official criticized not only Ghosn but also the decision of the Tokyo District Court to grant bail to the indicted former chairman.

“The court should not have done that because the defendant was denying all the charges,” the official said. “Now, it feels like, ‘See? I knew this would happen.’”

Toshiyuki Shiga, a former chief operating officer at Nissan and Ghosn’s right-hand man over many years expressed regret over Ghosn’s action.

“I am sorry about the situation because I was hoping that what actually happened would be revealed in court,” said Shiga, now chairman of INCJ Ltd., a public-private investment fund.

A former member of Nissan’s board said he was dumbfounded by Ghosn’s flight.

“A person who had long served as the leader of Nissan and was also successful globally has behaved like this,” the former board member said. “I am too shocked to speak.”

But at least one former executive said Ghosn’s escape was not surprising at all.

“Although he projected an image that he is a hero, he was timid in some ways,” the former vice president said. “He must have something to hide. So, he fled because he cannot fight fair in court.”

The automaker’s public relations department declined to comment on Ghosn’s departure.

Ghosn’s exit could affect Nissan’s plans to file a damages lawsuit against Ghosn based on the automaker’s conclusion in September that he used the company’s funds for his personal use.

Even after Ghosn was ousted from the company, Nissan continues to be engulfed in turmoil.

Hiroto Saikawa, who rose to president and CEO of the company after Ghosn’s downfall, stepped down in September following revelations of wrongdoing about his own remuneration.

Last month, Jun Seki, who was tasked to rebuild Nissan as vice chief operating officer, resigned just weeks after the new management lineup was announced.

Seki is expected to leave Nissan to serve as president of Nidec Corp., a manufacturer of automotive components.

(This article was written by Yasuaki Oshika and Satoshi Kubo.)