TOKYO (AP) – Japanese prosecutors accused two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, on Monday of the escape of former Nissan president Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon while he was released on bail.
Tokyo district prosecutors have been questioning the Taylors since they were extradited from the United States earlier this month. They have been detained in a Tokyo detention center since March 2.
Prosecutors said the Taylors were formally accused of helping a criminal escape, although the dates and other details of a trial have not been decided. Prosecutors sought his extradition months after being arrested and detained in the United States last May.
Tokyo’s deputy chief prosecutor, Hiroshi Yamamoto, said Monday was the last day the Taylors could have been detained without charge under Japanese law.
Now that they have been charged, they can continue to be detained. A court will decide whether they will receive bail.
Yamamoto said prosecutors are calling for continued detention on the pretext that the two may flee or hide evidence. He declined to elaborate on the Taylor’s health and other conditions, but said appropriate procedures were being taken.
“We continue to be grateful to the US authorities for their cooperation and look forward to continuing the trial,” he said, referring to the Taylor extradition.
The Taylors were not immediately available for comment, as is standard in Japan’s criminal system, where more than 99% of those on trial are found guilty.
Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for nearly two decades, was arrested in November 2018 and later accused of underestimating his severance pay and breach of trust.
He bailed out and fled to Lebanon in December 2019. Ghosn says he is innocent. Japan has placed Ghosn on Interpol’s wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.
Yamamoto said Japan is still determined to see Ghosn on trial.
Michael Taylor, 60, with the help of another man, George-Antoine Zayek, hid Ghosn in a large black box allegedly containing audio equipment, although they knew that Ghosn was not allowed to leave the country pending trial, according to prosecutors. .
The box passed security at Osaka airport in central Japan and was loaded onto a private jet that took Ghosn to Turkey.
Peter Taylor, 28, is accused of meeting Ghosn and helping his father escape. Authorities say the Taylors received at least $ 1.3 million.
Taylors’ lawyers in the United States fought extradition, saying they could be treated unfairly in Japan and subjected to “physical and mental torture”.
They also argued that skipping bail is not a crime under Japanese law. This is technically correct, but most people who flee are easily caught in Japan.
Zayek is not in custody. Yamamoto declined to comment on Zayek’s whereabouts.
Japanese prosecutors say they have enough evidence to convict the Taylor.
If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($ 2,900).
Separately, Greg Kelly, a former executive vice president at Nissan, is on trial on charges of underestimating Ghosn’s pay. Kelly, an American, says he is innocent because he did not know about such actions.
Nissan, as a company, is also on trial. Nissan recognized irregularities.
A verdict is not expected for months.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama