An American father and son charged with helping former Nissan Motor Co. chairperson Carlos Ghosn flee trial in Japan 18 months ago pleaded guilty in a Tokyo court Monday.
Appearing for the first time since they were extradited to Japan from the U.S. earlier this year, Michael Taylor, 60 and Peter Taylor, 28, admitted the allegations against them.
The two arrived in handcuffs. Both have spent time in solitary confinement.
The Taylors were brought to Japan in March to face charges related to their involvement in Ghosn's escape in late 2019 from Japan, where he was facing charges of financial misconduct. After smuggling himself in a case for audio equipment and being put in a private jet, the former auto executive made his way to Beirut, where he currently resides, The Japan Times reported.
The pair face a maximum of three years in prison on charges of harboring or enabling the escape of a criminal, the Times said. They had already served time in the U.S. before being extradited.
Michael has never denied his involvement in Ghosn's escape, even describing how he executed the operation in interviews in the past, though he had maintained that his son, Peter, had no role in the escape.
Prosecutors outlined how Ghosn was facing a trial for falsifying financial reports and breach of trust, and "knowing that he was supposed to face this trial and he should not hide or go abroad, knowing all that, you helped him avoid the trial by helping him escape via Turkey to Lebanon?"
Prosecutors said the Taylors hid Ghosn in some luggage and then took him to a hotel in Osaka and then onto Kansai Airport. The box with Ghosn was then moved to the international airport past the premium gate, past security and placed on a jet that left Japanese territory.
The Taylors' case in Tokyo is the latest addition to multiple legal proceedings around the world left in Ghosn's wake. Former Nissan director Greg Kelly is currently standing trial in Tokyo for allegedly helping to understate Ghosn's compensation and Nissan is suing Ghosn for $95 million.
If convicted, the Taylors face a maximum of three years in prison on charges of harboring or enabling the escape of a criminal. The Japan legal system will be "tough but fair" with the Taylors, said William Cleary, a professor at Hiroshima Shudo University who specializes in Japanese criminal law. They probably won't get the maximum sentence, he said.
