2 Americans Tied to Carlos Ghosn’s Escape to Be Extradited to Japan

Lawyers for the Taylors have argued that the allegations against them do not constitute a crime in Japan. They also say that the men would face arbitrary detention and treatment amounting to torture under Japan’s legal system.

The country has come under criticism at home and abroad for a system of “hostage justice,” in which criminal suspects who deny guilt can be held for long periods without charges.

Mr. Ghosn, who maintains his innocence, says that he was the victim of a politically motivated campaign by Nissan executives and Japanese officials to unseat him, and that he fled the country to escape a rigged justice system.

Mr. Ghosn’s escape from Japan was planned in cooperation with a team of at least 15 operatives around the world, The New York Times previously reported.

Peter Taylor, who works in private security, had helped with other international escape operations in the past. The Times once hired him to help rescue a correspondent, David Rohde, from the Taliban. Mr. Rhode escaped on his own in 2009.

In the lead-up to Mr. Ghosn’s escape and in the months afterward, Mr. Ghosn and his son, Anthony Ghosn, made more than $1.3 million in direct payments to Mr. Taylor and a company he controlled, U.S. prosecutors said in court filings.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/business/carlos-ghosn-escape-extradition-japan.html