A surveillance camera captured former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn leaving his Tokyo residence alone shortly before his surprise escape from Japan, public broadcaster NHK says, citing investigative sources.
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The security footage was taken by a camera installed at his house in central Tokyo around noon on Sunday, and the camera did not show him returning home, NHK said on Friday.
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.
NHK said the police suspected Ghosn may have left his home to meet up with someone before heading to an airport.
Under the terms of his bail, Ghosn was required to have security cameras installed at the entrance of his house.
Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant for Ghosn on Thursday while Turkey has launched an investigation into his escape from Japan, via Istanbul.
Some Lebanese media have floated a Houdini-like account of Ghosn being packed in a wooden container for musical instruments after a private concert in his home, but his wife has called the account "fiction".
Sources close to Ghosn said a delay to a trial and a strict ban on communicating with his wife motivated him to go ahead with a plan to use a private security company to smuggle him out of Japan via private jet.
In past cases, where Lebanon has received red notices for Lebanese citizens resident in the country, the suspects have not been detained but their passports have been confiscated and a bail has been set, a Reuters source said.
But Justice minister Albert Serhan that Lebanon "will carry out its duties", suggesting for the first time that the automotive titan may be brought in for questioning.
Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, has deep ties to Lebanon, the country of his childhood, where his investments include a stake in a bank, real estate and a vineyard.
Earlier, Turkish police detained seven people, including four pilots, in an investigation into how Ghosn transited through Istanbul en route to Lebanon.
A Turkish police spokeswoman said the other detainees were two airport ground workers and one cargo worker and all seven were expected to give statements before a court on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press
