TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Tokyo prosecutor's office has formally asked the United States to extradite two US nationals accused of helping ex-Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges.
"We express our appreciation to U.S. authorities for their cooperation. We will do our best in cooperating with them so that handover procedures will swiftly move ahead," the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office said as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.
Former member of the US Army Special Forces Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, were arrested in Massachusetts in May for their alleged involvement in organizing Ghosn's escape. They are currently in custody, but lawyers have requested that they be released on bail. At the same time, prosecutors insist that there is a risk of their escape.
Ghosn, a Brazilian-born French businessman of Lebanese origin, was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 on charges of underreporting income during his time as chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Since April 2019, Ghosn had been under house arrest and under close surveillance, awaiting trial. However, on New Year's Eve he issued a statement saying that he had arrived in his home country of Lebanon. Ghosn was believed to have fled Japan by private jet presumably inside a box for musical instruments.
Japan's investigative bodies proceeded to request that Interpol issue the so-called red notice for Ghosn, which led to a court in Lebanon banning the ex-CEO from leaving the country. However, Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.
