Carlos Ghosn managed to flee Japan by hiding in a musical instrument case

THE WEEK

It was an escape for the ages.

Former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn arrived in Lebanon on Monday after secretly fleeing Japan, where he was under house arrest and strict surveillance on charges of financial misconduct. The plan reads like a movie script.

Ghosn and his wife Carole reportedly enjoyed a performance by a Gregorian band at his home in Tokyo, but the show didn't end when the music stopped. After the band finished playing, Ghosn reportedly hopped into one of the larger instrument cases and was shepherded to a private plane that took him to Istanbul, Turkey, and then on to Lebanon, where's he a citizen and seemingly protected by the fact that Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. read more »

Factbox: Financial wrongdoing allegations against Carlos Ghosn

REUTERS

The compensation packages for Ghosn, one of the most celebrated and well-paid leaders in the global auto industry, have been a sore point among investors of the Renault-Nissan alliance which he helped launch in 1999.

The scandal came after Ghosn narrowly won a shareholder vote at Renault over his 7.4 million euro pay package for 2017. He had lost the vote in 2016.

The following are allegations made by Nissan and the media. read more »

Uber and Postmates File Suit to Block California Freelancer Law

NEW YORK TIMES

The ride-hailing company and the delivery start-up are seeking an injunction against the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1.

The action underlines how high the stakes are for Uber and Postmates with the new California law, called Assembly Bill 5. The law could potentially threaten their businesses because under it, workers must be classified as employees rather than contractors under certain conditions, such as if a company controls how they do their work or if the work is a regular part of the company’s business.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego, the bill’s author, said in a statement that “Uber is in court bizarrely trying to say A.B. 5 is unconstitutional.” She added, “The one clear thing we know about Uber is they will do anything to try to exempt themselves from state regulations that make us all safer and their driver employees self-sufficient.” read more »