Trial of two Americans accused of helping Carlos Ghosn escape begins in Tokyo

World

Published: 2021-06-14 12:02

Last Updated: 2024-03-29 08:52


Source: Arahi
Source: Arahi

The trial of Michael Taylor and his son Peter, who are accused of participating in the smuggling of former head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance Carlos Ghosn from Japan in late 2019, began on Monday in Tokyo.

The two men arrived at the court handcuffed, wearing black jackets and white shirts, and wearing coronavirus masks. 

Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old former member of the US Special Forces, and his son Peter, 28, who appeared calm, did not object to the facts read by the prosecutor.

They were arrested in May 2020 near Boston by the US authorities, under an arrest warrant issued by Japan.

After they had exhausted all possible petitions, last March they were handed over to Japan for trial. They face up to three years in prison if convicted by a Japanese court.

On the morning of December 31, 2019, Japan received news of the escape of Carlos Ghosn, its most famous defendant, to Lebanon. The former head of Nissan and Renault was banned from leaving the country after he was released on bail, pending trial on charges of embezzlement.

Two days later, the French-Lebanese-Brazilian businessman quietly left his home in Tokyo for Osaka (west) on a high-speed train, wearing a hood, a mask and two glasses to avoid recognition.

The two men who accompanied him and traveled with him in the evening on a private plane from Osaka Airport, were identified by CCTV scenes as Michael Taylor and George Antoine Zayek, a man of Lebanese origin who has still not been caught. 

- Hide in a box -

The three men headed to a hotel near Kansai International Airport, near Osaka.

Investigators believe Carlos Ghosn hid in a large box for audio equipment that had small holes so he could breathe.

Taylor and Zayek posed as musicians and were able to load their luggage without passing it through security checks, as this was allowed in Japan for passengers on private planes.

The three men flew to Istanbul, from where Ghosn took another plane to Lebanon. He has remained in Lebanon ever since. 

Peter Taylor was in Tokyo before the escape and had met Ghosn several times in Japan in the previous months. He then left the country alone on a plane for China.

A document for US prosecutors said Ghosn's escape was "one of the most shameless and best-orchestrated escapes in modern history."

Ghosn is wanted by Interpol, but he is out of reach as Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.

Ghosn says he "did not flee from justice" but wanted to "escape injustice" in Japan. He has remained secretive about the circumstances of his escape "to protect the people who have taken the risk" of helping him. However, he confirmed that he did not implicate members of his family in the matter.