The United States extradited to Japan two 'accomplices' who helped Ghosn escape

According to foreign media reports, according to the lawyers of the parties, on March 1, a pair of American fathers and sons accused of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan were extradited to Japan by the United States. The father and son will be handed over to Japanese prosecutors.

(Image source: Ghosn’s official website)

The suspects in this case are Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, a veteran of the US Special Forces. The two had fought for months to avoid being extradited to Japan. The two were accused of using the box to help Ghosn escape from Japan.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the extradition of Taylor and his son. Since their arrest in May last year, the two have been detained in the United States. Their lawyer Paul Kelly confirmed that the two were en route from Boston to Japan and planned to arrive in Tokyo at around 16:00 local time. The US Department of Justice and the US State Department declined to comment. The Tokyo District Attorney's Office, which handled the case, also declined to comment.

The two will not be prosecuted immediately, but they will face investigation after they arrive in Japan, and they may face charges after the investigation is over. Japanese prosecutors refused to disclose where the two will be held. One of the possible locations for the two to be detained is the Tokyo Detention Center, which is the main prison in the city, where Ghosn was detained since his arrest.

Taylor and his son were accused of hiding Ghosn in a box on December 29, 2019, and then taking a private jet to Lebanon, Ghosn’s childhood hometown, which did not sign an extradition treaty with Japan. The prosecutor said that 60-year-old private security expert Michael Taylor and his 27-year-old son Peter Taylor were paid $1.3 million for this.

Japanese law stipulates that a suspect can be detained for up to 20 days before being prosecuted or released, and the suspect’s lawyer is not allowed to be present during the prosecutor’s interrogation. Once sued, the court will generally reject the defendant's bail request.