Fugitive CEO's Wife: 'Best Gift of My Life'

It will take a while to figure out exactly how former Nissan exec Carlos Ghosn managed to jump bail in Japan and flee to Lebanon, but the Wall Street Journal reports that his wife played a big role in the escape. "Best gift of my life," she texted the newspaper on Tuesday. Reports have suggested that Ghosn hid inside a box designed for a large musical instrument that was loaded onto a private jet. The Journal doesn't confirm that, but it says Ghosn's supporters were planning for weeks to get him out of Japan, where they feared he would be unfairly convicted and imprisoned on financial charges. To pull off the plot, they had to get Ghosn out of his court-monitored residence in Tokyo and onto a plane.

Ghosn is believed to have flown first to Turkey and entered Lebanon from there, and the BBC notes that it is unclear how he did so legally because he had surrendered his three passports in Japan. It's possible he held duplicate passports, which is sometimes allowed for business people, the outlet notes. When he landed in Lebanon, he was reportedly met by his wife. The next step: Ghosn hopes to have a trial in Lebanon—he is of Lebanese descent—to help clear his name. He believes he would get a fairer trial there. (Among other things, Ghosn is charged with misappropriating $5 million in Nissan funds for personal use.)