TOKYO – Former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn stunned the world when he stepped out of a Tokyo jail this week looking like the Super Mario video game character.
The former chairman of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi was disguised in a blue tradesman's hat, glasses, a face mask and worker attire replete with reflective safety strips. But why the getup?
Two days after Ghosn's whirlwind release on $8.9 million bail, the mastermind behind the attempted smokescreen tried to explain his motives for the move.
Takashi Takano, the white-bearded attorney in charge of Ghosn's third-time-charmed bail plea, said he concocted the ruse to let Ghosn settle in his new court-approved digs in peace. The last thing he wanted, he said, was a parade of helicopters and cars chasing Ghosn through Tokyo.
"If Mr Ghosn had been transported to his residence without disguise, undoubtedly, a large number of camera crews in hired taxis, on motorbikes and in helicopters would have chased him," Takano wrote in a blog about the incident. "But it failed."
Failed big time. Once the media recovered from a quick double-take, the helicopters and motorbikes were all quickly in hot pursuit of the pint-sized silver Suzuki minivan shuttling Ghosn across town. For added effect, Takano had a ladder lashed to the top of the vehicle to make it look like an authentic maintenance van – perhaps not realizing the ladder was an easier marker.
Takano said a bail lawyer's first order of business is making sure a client understands and obeys the bail conditions. If Ghosn were to breach just one requirement, his bail could be canceled landing him back behind bars and his hefty bail deposit could be confiscated, Takano wrote.
Ghosn switched legal teams late last month, after his first attorney failed in two attempts to win bail. But after two weeks, Takano was able to get Ghosn out, ending 108 days in detention.
Takano said he was relieved that Ghosn was safely reunited with his family.
But he also apologized for the plan.
"The disguise of Mr. Carlos Ghosn at the time of his release was all planned and organized by me," Takano wrote. "Nevertheless, my poorly-conceived plan has ended up tarnishing his reputation that he has been building his whole life."
