Carlos Ghosn pulled off mystery escape via a discreet airport lounge

OSAKA, Japan — Despite being one of the world's most-recognizable executives, former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn probably embarked onto a private jet from a quiet VIP lounge in Japan's third-largest airport on his astonishing escape from a fraud trial.

Somehow, Ghosn appears to have passed immigration and luggage checks before a flight to Istanbul from Kansai International Airport in western Osaka city, the plane's owner said. Ghosn has become an international fugitive after he revealed on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a "rigged" justice system in Japan, where he faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes.

Details remain shadowy, but one employee of Turkish operator MNG Jet has admitted not including Ghosn's name in official documentation, the airline said.

"He would have had to go through as a passenger, perhaps in disguise," airport spokesman Kenji Takanishi told Reuters, amid multiple conspiracy theories over how Ghosn pulled off his exit.

The slightly built Nissan boss does have experience in disguises: when first released on bail in March, he walked out of the detention centre disguised as a workman to avoid media.

After landing in Turkey, Ghosn, who faced trial in Japan for financial misconduct charges that he denies, switched planes and flew on to his childhood home Lebanon. His escape capped a year-old saga shaking the global auto industry.

Kansai airport spokesman Takanishi said privacy was a big attraction for wealthy travelers at the 300-square-meter "Premium Gate Tamayura" — which means "fleeting moment" — for private jets.

Even so, it remains a mystery how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure despite being under strict surveillance by Japanese authorities, with movements and communications curtailed.

'We don't really look at people's faces'

Private jet owners pay 200,000 yen ($1,850) to use the facility in Osaka, where normal immigration and baggage procedures apply. Luggage too large for the X-ray scanning machine is opened and examined, Takanishi said, meaning it was unlikely Ghosn could have been smuggled on board.