A U.S. district judge on Friday rejected bail to two Massachusetts men alleged of helping orchestrate former Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan.
Judge Indira Talwani rejected bail for U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor after Japan had asked for their extradition. A magistrate had also earlier denied their release.
Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home after he was charged in Japan with engaging in financial misconduct by understating his compensation in Nissan’s financial statements. He rejects any wrongdoing.
Lawyers for the two men are yet to discuss the decision.
“While the Taylors may well seek to remain in the United States to fight extradition through available legal channels, they have also shown a blatant disregard for such safeguards in the context of the Japanese legal system and have not established sufficiently that if they find their extradition fight difficult, they will not flaunt the rules of release on bail and flee the country,” Talwani wrote.
The Taylors are alleged of implementing a sophisticated plan assisting Ghosn, who paid them, to jump bail, which Talwani noted consisted of hiring a private jet in the United Arab Emirates and “Peter Taylor making seven trips to Japan to meet with Ghosn multiple times and to set up and participate in Ghosn’s escape plan.”
It also included, Talwani added, Michael Taylor in Japan “checking with airport staff about security procedures and giving an airport worker a bundle of Japanese yen, secreting Ghosn out of a hotel room in a large box and bringing him aboard the private jet, and flying Ghosn to Turkey.”
A prior ruling said the Taylors seemed to have “substantial resources” they could exploit to potentially flee, including about $860,000 that Ghosn seemed to have wired to a company co-managed by Peter Taylor prior to the escape.
