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American father and his son who smuggled fugitive ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn out of Japan ‘in a speaker box’ face up to three years in jail as they are charged in Tokyo

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American father and son Michael and Peter Taylor have been accused of helping former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn jump bail in Japan

The Taylors face a single charge of helping a criminal escape, along with a third man still at large

It is believed that the trio masterminded the operation that saw the auto industry heavy weight and international jet-setter flee justice

Ghosn was head of Nissan Motor Co Ltd when he was accused of tax evasion by the Japanese govt in Nov, 2018, when he was arrested, detained and removed as chairman of the automaker

Former US Marine Michael Tylor and his son Peter Taylor along with a third man allegedly, subsequently smuggled the Nissan head out of Japan in Dec 2019

The escapee was packed into an audio-equipment case and onto a private jet to jump bail Japanese authorities said

Michael and Peter Taylor, both were extradited to Japan as they are charged in Tokyo with helping a criminal escape

The US pair face up to three years in a Japanese prison,

The father and son team of Michael Taylor and Peter Taylor face a single charge of helping a criminal escape, along with a third man still at large. The trio it is believed, masterminded the operation that saw former international jet-setter and head of Nissan Japan, Carlos Ghosn [photo], packed into an audio-equipment case and onto a private jet to jump bail in Dec 2019

Two American men from one family, accused of helping fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn jump bail and escape from Japan were indicted on Monday and face up to three years in prison.
The father-son pair arrived in Japan earlier this month from the United States after losing their battle to avoid extradition.
Both Michael Taylor and his son Peter face a single charge of helping a criminal escape.
The pair, along with a third man still at large, are believed to have masterminded the operation that saw former international jet-setter Ghosn packed into an audio-equipment case and onto a private jet to jump bail in December 2019, according to reports.

Michael Taylor [right], and his son Peter [photo], accused of helping former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn jump bail and escape from Japan, were indicted on Monday and face up to three years in prison

Nissan had filed a criminal complaint against Ghosn with Tokyo prosecutors related to the misuse of a “significant amount of the company’s funds”. Japanese authorities in 2019 charged Ghosn with under-reporting income and aggravated breach of trust for temporarily transferring personal investment losses to Nissan in 2008.
Ghosn, 66, was in charge of an alliance that included Nissan Motor, Mitsubishi Motors and France’s Renault, until his November, 2018 arrest and removal as chairman of the automakers Nissan Motor Co Ltd sent shockwaves through the industry.
The Japanese government had denied requests to end his detention.
As Ghosn’s lawyers said it would probably take more than six months for his case to come to trial, Ghosn himself said he was “wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations” during a Tokyo court proceeding.
His wife Carole Ghosn at the time has urged New York-based Human Rights Watch to draw attention to his “harsh treatment” during detention in a Japanese jail.
In a nine-page letter to Kanae Doi, the rights group’s Japan director, Carole Ghosn asked it to “shine a light on the harsh treatment of my husband and the human rights-related inequities inflicted upon him by the Japanese justice system”.
All this was before the Ghoson fled Japan in stealth

Japanese authorities believe Ghosn was packed into one of these audio-equipment case and then smuggled out of the country on a private jet

Ghosn is now beyond the reach of Japanese justice in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Tokyo.
But the Taylors were arrested in the US last year after Japan issued a warrant for them.
They sought to block Tokyo’s extradition request by claiming they would face torture-like conditions while in custody in Japan, but the US Supreme Court struck down their appeal in February.
Ghosn was a global business superstar and head of an auto alliance joining Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors before his career came crashing to an abrupt end in November 2018, when Tokyo investigators stormed his private jet to arrest him. Worth an estimated net worth of $120m, Ghosn was one of the most powerful figures in the global car industry until his arrest .
The French-Lebanese-Brazilian national was eventually charged with four counts of financial misconduct over claims he hid compensation and misused Nissan funds.
Having spent months in detention, Ghosn was out on bail awaiting trial on the charges – which he denies – when he fled the country in what Japanese prosecutors termed ‘one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history’.

High Flyer: Disgraced former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn and his wife, Carole, at the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on May 26, 2017
The Beirut home of Carlos and Carole Ghosn [photo]. The $14m pink mansion in one of city’s most expensive neighbourhoods. The building is subject to a legal dispute

Having spent months in detention, Ghosn was out on bail awaiting trial on the charges – which he denies – when he fled the country in what Japanese prosecutors termed ‘one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history’.
The details of his escape proved embarrassing to Japanese authorities. The fugitive it is believed, boarded a train to Osaka before evading security checks at Kansai airport by boarding a private jet packed into an oversized box that was not scanned.
After his arrival in Lebanon, Ghosn who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese passports. claimed that he had been forced to escape because he feared he would not get a fair hearing.
Ghosn released a short statement after multiple news agencies reported he had travelled to Lebanon. Confirming his arival in Beirut Ghosn said he would “no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.
“I have not fled justice – I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.”
The 66-year-old auto industry chief was born in Brazil to parents of Lebanese descent and was raised in Beirut, before travelling to France for further education.
While Ghosn remains at large, the repercussions of both the original case against him and his escape from Japan continue.

Buses which Japanese authorities say transported the Taylors, leaving Narita airport, Japan, on March 2

His ‘transporters’ – The Taylors however, were arrested in the US last year after Japan issued a warrant for them. They sought to block Tokyo’s extradition request by claiming they would face torture-like conditions while in custody in Japan, but the US Supreme Court struck down their appeal in February.
In Tokyo, his former close aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, is currently on trial for his alleged role in underreporting Ghosn’s income. Nissan itself faces charges in the case and has pleaded guilty.
A court in Turkey has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn’s escape.
Ghosn transited in Turkey, switching planes on his way to Lebanon, and the three Turks were charged with involvement in conspiracy to smuggle a migrant.
Two other pilots and two flight attendants on trial in Turkey were acquitted.

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  1. Former Green Beret Michael Taylor, 60, and his son Peter, 28, who helped ex-Nissan CEO jump bail by smuggling him out of Japan in a box, sentenced in Tokyo – KonnieMoments

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