A lawsuit in the case of Michael and Peter Taylors, accused of organizing the escape from Japan of the ex-chief of carmaker Nissan Carlos Ghosn, started in Tokyo, reports Kyodo.
The meeting is held at the Tokyo District Court. It is reported that the Taylors admitted to helping Gon leave the country.
According to investigators, former U.S. Special Forces officer Michael Taylor, 60, and his son Peter, 28, staged an escape in December 2019 and assisted with its implementation of Gong, who was under investigation and under house arrest. At the request of the ex-Nissan chief's wife, they helped Gon depart via Turkey to Lebanon, where he is to this day. According to documents presented to the court, before and after Ghosn's escape, 144 million yen (approximately $ 1.3 million) was transferred to Peter Taylor's account.
The investigation finds that on December 29, 2019, Ghosn, released on bail, was transferred to the account of Peter Taylor. left his home in Tokyo, went to the hotel and met the Taylors there, who accompanied him on the bullet train to Osaka. On the evening of the same day, they arrived at a hotel near the Kansai Airport, and two hours later the Taylors left the hotel. Gon was not with them, but they were carrying a large box to carry audio equipment. It is assumed that Gon was in this box. At 10:30 p.m. the Taylors arrived at the airport, from where they flew to Turkey, and from there Ghosn left for Lebanon.
In Japan, there is no indication that Ghosn traveled outside the country. Meanwhile, Lebanon claims the ex-Nissan chief crossed the border legally and refuses to extradite him to Japan.
In February of this year, the Taylors have been arrested in Japan. In March, they were charged.
As a reminder, Ghosn was arrested on suspicion of concealing the approximately $ 71 million statement he received as chairman of the board of directors of Nissan from 2010 to 2018.