Americans who helped Ghosn escape are sent back to United States

TOKYO, Nov 07 (Bloomberg) - The father and son sentenced to serve time in a Japanese prison for smuggling Carlos Ghosn out of the country in a large musical-equipment case were transferred to the US a week ago, ending another chapter of the corporate saga involving the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA.

Michael Taylor, the father and a former US Green Beret, and his son Peter Taylor were imprisoned last year after they pleaded guilty to helping the auto industry executive flee trial in late 2019 and make his way to Beirut. Ghosn was arrested in Japan in 2018 on charges of underreporting income and other corporate crimes, which he has denied.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons flew both out of Japan late in October after the two governments agreed to let them serve the remainder of their sentences in the US, according to Peter, who was released soon after arrival. Michael is set to be freed soon, pending procedural matters, he added. A call to a spokesperson for the Tokyo prosecutors office was unanswered on Saturday.

With Ghosn out of reach — Lebanon doesn’t extradite its citizens — the pair’s situation became a proxy in Japan for Ghosn and his case. Greg Kelly, a former Nissan director who was detained on the same day as his boss, was exonerated of most charges and left Japan earlier this year. He is appealing the verdict.

Michael Taylor received a sentence of two years while Peter Taylor was ordered to serve 20 months in prison.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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