Two US citizens accused of helping ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn in his escape from Japan arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday after they lost a lawsuit they filed to prevent the US authorities from extraditing them to Tokyo, according to local media.

It is believed that the former member of the US Special Forces Michael Taylor, his son Peter and their third partner, the Lebanese George-Antoine Al-Zayek, helped smuggle Ghosn from Osaka in western Japan to Lebanon after placing him in a large black box (similar to the boxes used to transport musical instruments) and transported him through Osaka Airport to Istanbul's Ataturk Airport and then to Beirut.

While Ghosn is currently out of reach of the Japanese judiciary as Lebanon does not have a wanted-exchange treaty with Tokyo, Michael and Peter were handed over to the Japanese public prosecutor earlier on Tuesday.

Al-Zayek is still at large.

The two accused landed at Narita Airport outside Tokyo and were transferred to a detention center after clearing immigration papers and taking a COVID-19 test, according to reports. There was no immediate official confirmation of their arrival in Japan.

Immediately after the Taylors' arrest, the father and his son filed a lawsuit requesting that the government prevent them from extraditing them to Japan because they may face torture-like conditions in its prisons.

Feb. 13, however, the US Supreme Court upheld the rulings in this case by the Courts of First Instance and Appeals, thus allowing the government to hand over the father and son to the Japanese authorities.

"This is a sad day for the family and for all those who believe that ex-soldiers deserve better treatment than their country," attorney Paul Kelly said in a statement, confirming that his clients were handed over to the Japanese authorities.

- 'Brazen' escape -

Ghosn was a prominent businessman and head of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance before his career came to an abrupt end in November 2018 when Tokyo investigators stormed his private plane to arrest him.

Ghosn spent 130 days in prison in two phases, and the Japanese judiciary charged him with four charges, including not declaring his entire income and misappropriating the company's funds for personal use.

After spending months in custody, Ghosn was released on bail pending trial on the charges he denies. However, he fled the country in what Japanese prosecutors described as "one of the most impudent and brilliant escapes in modern history."

This angered Japanese officials, especially since prosecutors refused several times to release Ghosn on bail, under the pretext that there was a high risk of his escape.

The details of his escape caused the authorities even more embarrassment, as the former billionaire was suspected of taking a train to Osaka before evading security checks at Kansai Airport by boarding a private plane in a large, unexamined box.

After arriving in Lebanon, Ghosn claimed that he was forced to flee because he feared he would not receive a fair trial.

While Ghosn is still at large, the repercussions of the original lawsuit against him and his escape from Japan continue.

In Tokyo, his former Nissan aide Greg Kelly is on trial for his alleged role in cutting the announced portion of Ghosn's salary. Nissan is also facing charges in this case and has pleaded guilty.

Last month, an Istanbul court sentenced three Turks to prison for helping Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan to Lebanon in December 2019.

MNG Jet senior official Okan Koseman and two pilots were sentenced to four years and two months in prison for "migrant smuggling".

After he flew from Osaka in western Japan to Istanbul on a plane belonging to the Turkish private jet charter group MNG Jet, Ghosn flew to Beirut on a second plane belonging to the same group.

The court acquitted other pilots and two flight attendants who were also on trial.