Interpol has issued a 'red notice' for the arrest of ex-Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn after he escaped from Japan while facing trial for alleged financial misconduct.

Ghosn evaded Japanese authorities to break the terms of his bail and flee to Lebanon.

He was reportedly smuggled in a music instrument case out of his home, where he has been under house arrest.  

Ghosn appeared in Lebanon on New Year's Eve, according to the FT and the BBC, where he stated: "I have escaped injustice and political persecution.”

He maintains that he is the victim of a conspiracy among Nissan executives, prosecutors and government officials to prevent him from further integrating the Japanese OEM with its alliance partner, Renault.

An Interpol 'red notice' is a request to police across the world to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or other similar legal action.

But Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, and Ghosn has Lebanese, Brazilian and French citizenship.

Ghosn had posted 1bn yen in bail (£6.8m) in Japan last April ahead of his trial, after he'd been held in prison for more than 100 days following his arrest in November 2018 for alleged financial crimes.

Ghosn, accused of crimes ranging from falsifying documents to diverting Nissan money for personal use, has proclaimed his innocence on all charges.

During his detention in Japan the International Federation for Human Rights said the denial of Ghosn's access to a lawyer during interrogation and prolongued detention reflected "some serious failings" in Japan's criminal justice system.