London (CNN Business) Carlos Ghosn has used his freedom to blast Japan's legal system and denounce his arrest as part of a plot to topple him as head of the world's most powerful auto alliance.

the former Nissan chairman told reporters in Beirut on Wednesday, his first major public appearance since pulling off a "I did not escape justice. I fled injustice,"the former Nissan chairman told reporters in Beirut on Wednesday, his first major public appearance since pulling off a stunning breakout from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing.

He said his intention in speaking out was not to discuss how he fled the country, but to clear his name and explain why he "never should have been arrested in the first place."

Ghosn was first arrested in Tokyo more than a year ago. Among other charges, prosecutors alleged that he understated his income for years and funneled $5 million of Nissan's money to a car dealership he controlled.

The former auto industry titan has repeatedly denied the charges, and on Wednesday slammed Japan's criminal justice system, which he said "violates the most basic principles of humanity." He pointed to his time in solitary confinement, extended questioning without lawyers present, and the lack of a speedy trial. Japanese prosecutors were intent on extracting incriminating information, not on determining the truth, he claimed.

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