Japan arrests 2 men linked to Ghosn escape

Tokyo, March 2 Japanese authorities on Tuesday arrested two American men who are suspected of helping ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn escape to Lebanon in 2019 while on bail.

Michael Taylor, 60, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Taylor, 28, were taken into custody after they arrived at the Narita airport near Tokyo following their extradition from the US, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Taylors are suspected of taking the former Nissan chairman to a hotel in Osaka prefecture from his home in Tokyo before putting him on the private jet leaving from Kansai International Airport with knowledge that his bail conditions did not allow him to travel overseas.

They lost their battle against extradition last month.

The Japanese prosecutors obtained arrest warrants for the Taylors in January 2020 and they were detained in Massachusetts in May.

Last October, the US State Department approved the extradition of the suspects to Japan.

Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationality, is accused of under-reporting his remuneration for years and for embezzling company funds.

He has denied all the charges, claiming that company insiders conspired against him.

Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon and has been trying to have Ghosn detained via Interpol.

( With inputs from IANS )