Ghosn blamed Americans for helping him flee Japan Automotive news
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A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and his son testified in Tokyo on Monday that former Nissan Motor Co Ltd president Carlos Ghosn was accused of helping him escape from Japan.
A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and his son have pleaded guilty in Tokyo to allegedly illegally helping Carlos Ghosn, former president of Nissan Motor Co Ltd, escape from Japan in December 2019 in hiding in a private jet box.
Chief Judge Hideo Nire, one of the three judges directing the first-instance appearance, on Monday asked Michael Taylor and his son Peter if there were any errors in the charges filed by the Tokyo Prosecutor’s Office.
“It’s not your honor,” replied old Taylor. “No,” said the son.
Extradited from the US to Japan in March, they are in the same prison in Tokyo where Ghosn was imprisoned. They could face up to three years in prison.
Wearing black jackets and pants, white shirts and plastic slippers, the pair were taken to the court with ropes tucked into their handcuffs and tied around their waists.
Prosecutors accused them of aiding Ghosn from escaping punishment and fleeing to Lebanon from Kansai airport in western Japan, where he received $ 1.3 million for their services, some of which was paid for by the younger Taylor’s advertising company. The Americans demanded another $ 500,000 from Ghosni for legal fees after Japan requested his arrest, the prosecutor said.
Younger Taylor was also said to visit Lebanon frequently and said plans to flee began six months before Ghosne fled.
In their statement, Ghosn’s wife Carol also asked Michael Taylor for help, then Ghosn contacted Tokyo with a hidden phone to the Japanese authorities.
A third man, George-Antoine Zay, hired by Taylor, traveled to Japan later in 2019 to find his way to airport security because it was the best exit at Kansai Airport’s private jet terminal, prosecutors said.
Zay remains free.
Baggage that is not included in the security scanning machine is manually inspected. This verification, however, can be refused by the pilot.
U.S. Taylors lawyers fought a month-long battle to prevent extradition to Japan, arguing that they could not be prosecuted for helping someone “jump bail” and could face constant interrogation and torture.
In Japan, the suspects are questioned in the absence of their lawyer and denied bail before being tried.
Japan’s conviction rate is 99 percent.
At the time Ghosn fled, he was awaiting trial on charges of compensating 9.3 trillion yen ($ 85 million) in Nissan bills in a decade, and was enriched at the expense of his employer through payments to car dealers.
Ghosne – who denies any wrongdoing – remains a fugitive at his childhood home in Lebanon, where he has no extradition agreement with Japan.
Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive accused of helping Ghosni hide his profits, is also on trial in Tokyo. He denies the allegations against her.
Taylor will make his next appearance in court, in the same room where Kelly’s trial is taking place, on June 29, when their lawyers will make a statement and the Americans will cross paths.
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