4 yıl önce

Japan indicts two Americans accused of aiding Ghosn escape

Prosecutors say Michael Taylor and his son Peter charged with enabling the escape which saw former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn stuffed into an equipment case and smuggled into a private jet to flee Japan in 2019.

Reuters

Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan and Renault chief executive, gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, in Jounieh, Lebanon September 29, 2020.

Tokyo prosecutors have indicted two Americans accused of helping former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn jump bail and make his audacious escape from Japan in 2019.

In a statement on Monday, prosecutors said Michael Taylor and his son Peter were being indicted on a charge of enabling the escape which saw Ghosn stuffed into an equipment case and smuggled into a private jet to flee Japan.

Ghosn, who was out on bail awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges, arrived in Lebanon after transiting in Turkey.

The Taylors, along with a third man still at large, are believed to have masterminded the operation, which left Japanese authorities shocked and furious.

While Ghosn is now beyond the reach of Japanese justice in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Tokyo, the Taylors were handed over to Japanese prosecutors in early March.

They were arrested in the US last year after Japan issued a warrant for them, and fought to block Tokyo's extradition request claiming they would face torture-like conditions in Japan.

But the US Supreme Court struck down their appeal in February.

The single charge they face carries a maximum penalty o f three years in prison.

SOURCE: AFP