Welcome to Lebanon Carlos-san

Let’s say a certain hugely successful Lebanese automotive executive ran into legal troubles in a country which has an unusually convoluted judicial system, which tends towards “guilty until proven innocent.” Staying back to fight and salvage his international reputation and legacy entails wasting a chunk of valuable years from his life expectancy at 65, with no guarantee of exoneration in the seemingly rigged Japanese system. After weighing the pros and cons, he makes a fateful, controversial decision to skip bail and hightail it out of Dodge. He lands in Beirut, where he has a big, fat bank account, protected by Lebanese secrecy laws, unmatched anywhere in the world. Bank accounts in other countries might be in a precarious position because of a potential Interpol warrant. But he doesn't care — he’s got a lot of cash stashed in his country of birth. He’s happy, even though he holds several passports. Finally, his Lebanese citizenship will come in handy, after years of neglect, allowing him to live out the rest of his days in luxury and where people with legal troubles routinely end up as ministers or political leaders. He might even consider that later. But first things first.After a few nights of rest and catching up with friends and family, and popping expensive champagne bottles,...