The American father and son accused of helping Carlos Ghosn escape Japan have admitted their role in the infamous operation that ended up with Ghosn in Lebanon in late 2019.
Former Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter stated that they did not contest the facts presented by prosecutors at the Tokyo district court, according to AFP.
The Taylors, who were extradited by the United States nearly 3 months ago, both replied no to the question asked by the judge, “Is there any mistake in what the prosecutor just read?”
This was after the prosecution narrated the details of Ghosn‘s escape operation, including the Taylors hiding the former executive in a case to sneak him past airport security. “You helped him escape,” the defendants were told.
The Taylors had fought extradition while in U.S. custody for months before finally being handed over to the Japanese authorities early in March.
Their lawyers have argued that their actions did not constitute a crime under Japanese laws.
Now, they face up to three years in prison if convicted of orchestrating Ghosn‘s daring escape.
In the meantime, Carlos Ghosn remains out of the reach of the Japanese judiciary, in his residence in Beirut.
He was recently questioned by French judges in Beirut, in a process he deemed the first “fair” treatment he has received since his first arrest in Japan back in 2018.
