Japanese prosecutors want two Americans who helped car magnate Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan to face nearly three years in prison.
In addition, they demand two years and ten months in prison for Michael Taylor and two and a half years in prison for his son Peter. The two have pleaded guilty.
Ghosn is the former CEO of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi. He was arrested in Japan after allegedly committing fraud at Nissan. After some time in a cell, he was held under house arrest when he fled the country in late 2019.
He bypassed security at his home and flew a private plane to Istanbul, allegedly hiding in a box for sound equipment. From Turkey, he fled to Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationality.
Prosecutors believe that father Michael Taylor played a leading role in Ghosn’s flight and should therefore be punished more severely. “His responsibility is very serious. This case has seriously infringed the Japanese criminal justice system.”
Since May last year, the Taylors have been in jail when they were arrested in the United States. They were extradited to Japan earlier this year. They are expected to hear later this month what punishment they will receive. It’s not clear whether the time they spent in the US will be deducted from their eventual jail time.