Ghosn's case: What you need to know

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Carlos Ghosn has gone from an industry titan to international fugitive ...

allegedly escaping house arrest in Japan by hiding in a music case - a daring, Houdini-esque ploy that baffled even his own lawyers.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) OUSTED NISSAN MOTOR CO CEO CARLOS GHOSN SAYING:

"This is about a plot. This is about conspiracies. This is about backstabbing."

But what was the ex-Nissan boss running away from?

Here's what you need to know ... starting with the allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies.

First up - there's two charges for under-reported earnings.

Japanese prosecutors first arrested Ghosn in November 2018,

accusing him of hiding half of his Nissan income over 5 years from 2010,

totaling 5.4 billion yen, around $88 million.

He was later accused of under-reporting a further 4.1 billion yen,

in the subsequent three years.

Then there's misappropriation of funds.

An internal Nissan investigation revealed he used company cash for "personal matters".

Media reports say that covered homes: Rio de Janeiro, Beirut, Paris and Amsterdam;

and lavish family vacations.

He is also being charged with breach of trust,

and is accused of enriching himself at Nissan's expense.

This was Ghosn's response at a press conference in Lebanon.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER NISSAN BOSS, CARLOS GHOSN, SAYING:

"These allegations are untrue. And I should have never been arrested in the first place."

Ghosn says he isn't fleeing crimes,

but a rigged Japanese justice system -

with a conviction rate of 99.9%.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) OUSTED NISSAN MOTOR CO CEO CARLOS GHOSN SAYING:

"I did not escape justice. I fled injustice."

So what will happen next?

Lebanon has two major draws for Ghosn.

He has citizenship and deep ties to the country,

and it has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Interpol issued a red notice,

which calls on authorities to arrest a wanted person.

But it's unknown if Lebanon will heed the request.

A senior official told Reuters that Lebanon does not extradite its citizens to foreign states,

and sources close to Ghosn said he received a warm greeting from the president.