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Michael Taylor, 60 former US Green Beret, has apologized to Japan for orchestrating The elaborate escape of Carlos Ghosn in Lebanon, saying he acted out of sympathy for the old Nissan chair after hearing his allegations of “psychological torture.”
“I deeply regret my actions and sincerely apologize for causing difficulties for the judicial process and for the Japanese people. I’m sorry, “Taylor Taylor, who had been extradited from the United States, told a court in Tokyo on Tuesday.
There was a similar apology from his son, Peter, who appeared in court jointly accused of being involved in the subterfuge complex that caused Ghosn to leave Japan via a bullet train, two hotels, a plane. private and a box to move music equipment. which had been specially proposed.
“I take full responsibility and apologize deeply,” said Peter Taylor, who said he had been drawn to the project because of an emotional connection to the Ghosn family, as his godmother was a relative of the former chair. Nissan.
Earlier this month, the American father and his 28-year-old son he pleaded guilty during his first appearance before a three-judge court in the Tokyo district court. They face three years in prison.
Ghosn remains in Lebanon and continues to claim that his bold escape was an attempt to “flee from injustice.” The former head of the Renault-Nissan alliance faced multiple charges of financial misconduct, which he denies. Ghosn remains the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Japan, but on which Lebanon has not yet acted.
Explaining why he decided to help with the escape, Michael Taylor said he “felt sympathy” for Ghosn after the wife of the former president, Carole, told him how he was being treated by Japanese authorities after his arrest. at the end of 2018.
Ghosn’s long period of imprisonment and bail conditions that prevented him from seeing his wife revive many long-standing criticisms of how prosecutors construct cases in Japan. But his escape to Lebanon and the testimony of the Taylors have also shown how the strict conditions of the bail were broken. Ghosn allegedly communicated by cell phone and held secret meetings in Tokyo with the couple.
“The torture he described was isolated, questioned over and over again. And they wouldn’t let the husband and wife talk to each other,” Michael Taylor said, adding that Ghosn also mentioned “psychological torture” and ” isolation “.
When his lawyer asked him if he had any doubts about the torture stories, Michael Taylor said he had never been to Japan at the time and that he was “surprised when I found out.”
The extradition of the Taylors from the United States to Japan was carried out under a 40-year treaty between the two countries, but which has historically been rarely used in connection with white-collar crimes. During the Taylors extradition process, which father and son seemed to resist by all legal means, a federal judge called the conditions in Japanese prisons “deplorable.”
But on Tuesday in court, Michael Taylor told prosecutors that despite the advice of lawyers and legal experts that extradition was unlikely, he would have preferred to be sent to Japan immediately because of the “really bad” conditions. in the US during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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