American duo plead guilty to helping Ghosn flee Japan
TOKYO: Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.
Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggest the pair don’t plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal. That carries a possible penalty of up to three years in prison.
Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys for the Taylors, told The Associated Press after the court session that he wants the trial to
“proceed efficiently.” He said ending the trial quickly is “in the best interests of his clients.” He declined to confirm his team was hoping for a suspended sentence if they are convicted, meaning no time would be served. He stressed the decision was up to the judge.
The Taylors appeared calm as they were led into the courtroom in handcuffs, with ropes tied around their waists.
They said little except to answer the judge’s questions, such as “Yes, your honor,” and “I hear you well,” when asked about simultaneous interpreting relayed via headphones.
Prosecutors read out a statement accusing Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and Peter Taylor of arranging to hide
Ghosn in a box for musical equipment. It was loaded onto a private jet that flew him from the western city of Osaka to Lebanon via Turkey in December
2019.
Ryozo Kitajima, one of the prosecutors, said Peter Taylor met with Ghosn at a hotel several times in 2019 and introduced Ghosn to his father. He said Peter Taylor also received $562,500 in two transfers to pay for chartering the jet and other expenses. Peter Taylor arranged for Ghosn to change his clothing at a Tokyo hotel. His father and another man, George-antoine Zayek later accompanied Ghosn to the Osaka airport, Kitajima said.
Zayek has not been arrested. The prosecutors said bitcoins worth $500,000 were transferred from Ghosn’s son Anthony’s account to Peter Taylor in 2020, purportedly to cover the Taylors’ defense costs.
After a brief discussion, the Taylors agreed there were no mistakes in the statement.
Prosecutors said that during their detention the Taylors had expressed remorse and that the pair had been misled to believe helping someone jump bail was not illegal in Japan. They said Ghosn’s wife Carole told them Ghosn was being tortured. The prosecutors quoted the Taylors as saying they were not tortured and were treated in a way that was “fair and professional.”
The trial’s next session is set for June 29. The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts last year and extradited to Japan in March. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship and Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.