Former Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn is helping everyone who stood by him, he said in an interview broadcast on Saturday, though he refused to comment on cases of people alleged of helping him flee to Lebanon from Japan.
Ghosn, the ex-chairman of an automaking alliance of Renault, Nissan Motor, and Mitsubishi Motors was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of underreporting his salary and using company funds for personal purpose. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In December 2019, he escaped from house arrest in Japan, where he was awaiting trial, and fled to Beirut, Lebanon, his childhood home.
U.S. officials on May arrested U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, who are alleged of helping Ghosn flee. Japan has asked the United States to extradite these two individuals.
During an interview with Al Arabiya TV, Ghosn was asked if he was trying to help the Taylors and others involved in his escape, Ghosn said: “You are talking about particular people, and I will not comment on those people who you are singling out.
“What I’m saying is that I am helping everyone who helped me; I’m helping them with my means, with my thinking, and in any way I can,” he said. “I am not talking about those people you mentioned particularly,” he said, adding that he was talking about people who helped him in general.
Ghosn has declined to discuss share details about his escape from Japan, saying it would put in those at risk who have helped him.
U.S. judge Donald Cabell said on Friday that Michael and Peter Taylor posed too much of a flight risk to be released on bail due to the “spectacular” allegations against them, adding that both Taylors seemed to have “substantial resources” they could exploit to potentially flee.
Ghosn reiterated his earlier comments Al Arabiya that he made “the entire plan” for his escape but he required information and assistance from people whom he was not ready to put into danger by discussing about the matter.
This month, seven people in Turkey consisting of an executive from a Turkish private jet operator, four pilots, and two flight attendants appeared in court on charges of helping Ghosn flee via Istanbul, Turkey.
Ghosn also said that Lebanese government had already requested Japan to send his case file, but so far Japan has not sent the files. “It has been six months and they haven’t sent the file. Why haven’t they sent the file?”
