US men accused of helping Ghosn flee arrive in Japan

TOKYO – Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn skip bail in Japan and flee to Lebanon in December 2019 were extradited from the U.S. and arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, who had been detained in a Boston jail since last May, were handed over to Japanese custody on Monday.

Tokyo Deputy Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said the Taylors arrived at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, and were arrested on suspicion of aiding a criminal.

They will be held at a Tokyo detention centre, where they will be questioned and investigated, Yamamoto told reporters.

Japanese TV channel’s showed video of a Japan Airlines flight carrying the two men land at Narita. They were largely hidden behind a tarp held up by Japanese authorities.

Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for more than two decades, was arrested in 2018, and charged with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust in diverting Nissan money for personal gain. He says he is innocent.

Japan has put Ghosn on Interpol’s wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Dates for Taylors’ trial and formal charges were still undecided. Under Japanese law, suspects can be held without a formal charge for up to 23 days.

“We would like to deeply thank the U.S. government for their co-operation,” Yamamoto said.