Two Americans who helped car magnate Carlos Ghosn in his miraculous escape from Japan have pleaded guilty. Army veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter were in court in Tokyo over the matter.
The United States delivered the duo to Japan in March. They are in the same prison where Ghosn was previously held. They can be jailed for up to three years. Prosecutors say the two were awarded $1.3 million for their help in the escape.
Ghosn had to make his arrest in Japan in 2018 to resign from the carmakers where he held sway, within the Renault-Nissan alliance. In December 2019, he then managed to escape from Japan, where he was under house arrest. He bypassed security at his home and flew a private plane to Istanbul, allegedly hiding in a box for sound equipment. From Turkey he flew to Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn has French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationality.
There are dozens of lawsuits around Ghosn worldwide. He is suspected by Japan of, among other things, false statements about his salary and private use of company funds. A Dutch court case recently ruled against Ghosn. The former CEO himself filed the lawsuit to claim lost income from Nissan-Mitsubishi, but the judge ruled that Ghosn must pay back money himself.