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Two US military contractors indicted in Japan for helping ex-Nissan boss escape

Monday, 22 March 2021 7:58 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 March 2021 9:20 AM ]

Carlos Ghosn was under house arrest in Japan after being charged with financial misconduct at Nissan. (file photo)

Japanese prosecutors have indicted an American military contractor and his son for helping former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn escape trial in Japan.

Kyodo News reported on Monday that former US Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter, who have been extradited to Japan by US authorities, were accused of planning and executing Ghosn’s escape from Japan.

The pair arrived in Tokyo earlier this month to face questioning from prosecutors after they lost an appeal against their extradition. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison.

Japanese prosecutors accuse the pair of receiving 1.3 million dollars to get Ghosn out of Japan on December 29, 2019.

Taylor had once run a private military security firm named American International Security Corporation.

Former US Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter.

The firm specialized in escape operations which cost between $20,000 and $2 million, depending on the conditions.

Ghosn, who is wanted in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, fled to his childhood home country of Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Tokyo.

It is believed that Ghosn was concealed in a large black box-like luggage case which was loaded onto a private Turkish jet without being checked by Japanese authorities at Kansai international airport.

Turkey convicted an executive of the Turkish jet company MNG and two pilots over their role in flying Ghosn out of Japan.

Ghosn, a Brazilian-born businessman who also holds French and Lebanese nationality, held a press conference in Lebanon after his escape, denying charges of financial wrongdoing in Japan and claiming the country's justice system was “rigged.”

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