Alleged Accomplices in Ghosn Escape Set to Appear in Tokyo Court
River Davis, 14 June 2021
Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee trial in Japan a year-and-a-half ago are now set to appear at their own hearing at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Michael Taylor, 60, and Peter Taylor, 28, have been charged with helping Ghosn illegally escape Japan in December 2019, where he was facing charges of financial misconduct. The former executive, who has denied prosecutors’ accusations of understating income and using company funds for personal use, was smuggled out of Japan in a case for audio equipment and ended up in Beirut, where he currently resides.
In March, the father-son duo were brought to Japan to face charges in a rare case of extradition that was seen as a much-needed victory for Japan’s justice system after the made-for-movies escape by the former auto executive. Later that month, prosecutors formally charged the two with aiding Ghosn.
The Taylors’ case in Tokyo is the latest addition to multiple legal proceedings around the world left in Ghosn’s wake. Former Nissan director Greg Kelly is currently standing trial in Tokyo for allegedly helping to understate Ghosn’s compensation and Nissan is suing Ghosn for 10 billion yen ($95 million) in damages in a separate suit that’s proceeding slowly in Yokohama. French investigators have been questioning Ghosn in Beirut on accusations he siphoned Renault SA funds, and last month the former executive was ordered to pay almost 5 million euros ($6 million) to a local unit of Nissan in a case in the Netherlands.
