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Carlos Ghosn 'very comfortable' after questioning by Lebanese prosecutor

BEIRUT/TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn's lawyer said he was "very comfortable" with legal proceedings in Lebanon on Thursday, after the fugitive ex-Nissan boss was questioned over an extradition request from Japan where he faces criminal charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he awaited trial on charges of under-reporting earnings, breach of trust and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies. His dramatic escape has raised tension between Tokyo and Beirut at a time when Lebanon is seeking an international bailout to help it tackle a deep financial crisis. Ghosn slammed the Japanese justice system at a two-hour news conference on Wednesday, prompting Japan's justice minister to launch a rare and forceful public response. After questioning in Beirut about Japan's Interpol wanted notice, two judicial sources said the prosecutor had imposed a travel ban, a step Carlos Abou Jaoude, a Beirut-based lawyer for Ghosn, described as procedural to broadcaster Al Jadeed. Lebanon has no extradition agreement with Japan. "He (Ghosn) is very comfortable with the path," Jaoude told another broadcaster, MTV, adding that Ghosn was also comfortable in himself "especially after what he went through."   Related: CES 2020 and Carlos Ghosn | Autoblog Podcast #609 Ghosn: Nissan-Renault strife and his arrest can be traced back to Macron The rise, fall and flight of Carlos Ghosn   One of the judicial sources said authorities had asked Japan for its file on Ghosn, including the charges against him, and would not question him again until the information is received. Ghosn would surrender his French passport on Thursday, he said. Ghosn said later he was more comfortable with the Lebanese judiciary than that of Japan. "I will fully cooperate," he told broadcaster LBCI. Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori said Ghosn's allegations that he had had "zero chance" of a fair trial in Japan were unfounded. "Defendant Ghosn was looking to justify his unlawful exit from Japan by propagating a false recognition of our justice system," she said at the second of two news conferences, the first of which was held shortly after midnight. "I felt that we needed to respond immediately to broadcast a correct understanding to people around the world." Ghosn told LBCI her comments were "ridiculous." "Today my concern is clearing my name and reputation because all the accusations against me are fabricated," he told Al Jadeed. Trial in Lebanon?

Nissan ZEOD RC finds nothing but trouble at 2014 Le Mans

Audi came away a big winner at this year's Le Mans competition, but Nissan has at least one thing to celebrate. The Pyrrhic victory apparently presages Nissan giving up on the gas-electric race car for Le Mans 2015. Before the race this weekend, the prototype ZEOD RC hybrid race car was doing quite well. In fact, given the way things turned out, Nissan's keen to mention that team engineers managed to get the car to complete a lap on electric power and hit a target speed of 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) on the Mulsanne Straight during testing. ZEOD RC stands for Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car. "The race was obviously very disappointing" – Wolfgang Reip Things didn't go so well once the real race started. The problem for the Deltawing-esque prototype – which is powered by a 1.5-liter gas ending putting out 400 horsepower and a pair of 110-kW electric motors – was that something broke in the transmission after just 23 minutes and five laps. Driver Wolfgang Reip put his best spin on the hybrid's collapse: "The race was obviously very disappointing but having got a taste of Le Mans now, I can't wait to get back." If Reip does return with Nissan, it will likely be in a more traditional Le Mons racer. The ZEOD RC was part of the LM P2 class, but Nissan says that, "For Le Mans 2015, Nissan will return to the LM P1 class." You can watch the full warm-up electric lap in a video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Nissan ZEOD RC heroic electric lap followed by heartbreak Amazing morning warm-up result after all-nighter by crew "New tech" car halted by "old tech" issue Nissan breaks new ground in electric vehicles LE MANS, France – Nissan's assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours may have ended early, but the revolutionary Nissan ZEOD RC electric prototype still leaves Le Mans having reached its historic goals of hitting 300 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight and recording a complete lap of Le Mans on electric power only. The unique prototype – which features both internal combustion and electric power sources – reached its first target during Thursday night qualifying when Satoshi Motoyama exceeded 300 km/h before the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. Nissan's other key goal was to complete an entire 8.5-mile lap of Le Mans on pure electric power. GT Academy winner Wolfgang Reip was at the wheel when the team achieved this goal during the morning warm-up.

Here's how to follow this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the pantheon of motorsports, the 24 Hours of Le Mans stands as one of the great endurance challenges to man and machine. This year's event in France already looks to be one for the ages with Porsche setting record-breaking times in practice and the competition debut of Nissan's front-engine, hybrid racer. Thankfully, there's a massive list of ways to follow this automotive attraction. Reilly Brennan, the Executive Director of the Revs Automotive Research Program at Stanford University, and a friend of Autoblog, has once again assembled a helpful couch-kit to organize many of the options. Unfortunately, the old-school way of just turning on the television might be the most frustrating way to watch Le Mans this year. Fox Sports 1 and 2 are carrying about half the race, but the coverage bounces between them seemingly at random. The broadcast begins on Fox Sports 2 at 8:30 AM Eastern ahead of the 9:00 AM start and lasts there until 12:00 PM. Things don't pick up again until 7:00 PM Eastern on Fox Sports 1 for an hour, and the channels swap back and forth more from there. The Fox Sports Go streaming app offers more, but even it stops showing the race a few times. Thankfully, streaming Le Mans is easy. If you can't dedicate 24-hours on the couch, Radio Le Mans lets you listen to audio commentary anywhere with some of the best announcers in the biz. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the governing body for the race, also offers an official video stream in an app for $9.99. For a really low-tech solution, the official Twitter is another choice. Brennan is keeping his list updated with coverage changes. You can also check out and download the spotter's guide (from Nissan) in the gallery above. Enjoy this year's race. If you miss anything, don't worry; expect a full report from Autoblog. In fact, editor-in-chief Mike Austin is attending Le Mans this year, so follow him on Twitter for on-the-fly impressions. Featured Gallery 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans Spotter's Guide News Source: Reilly BrennanImage Credit: Nissan Motorsports Audi Nissan Porsche Toyota Hybrid Racing Vehicles