A federal judge on Thursday granted a last-minute request to halt the U.S. government from extraditing two men alleged of helping former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston has granted a request by lawyers for U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, to delay the transfer just before the two men were set to be placed on a flight to Japan.
The State Department told them Wednesday it had approved Japan’s extradition request. Talwani put on hold their transfer while she evaluated the Taylors’ emergency petition challenging that decision.
The department’s decision came after the Taylors lost an earlier court challenge to their possible extradition after their arrests in May.
In a joint statement, two lawyers for the Taylors, Ty Cobb and Paul Kelly, said they were actively looking forward to having the State Department and White House reconsider the decision authorizing the surrender of their clients.
“It would be a great injustice for these two U.S. citizens to be surrendered to Japan,” lawyers said.
Lawyers for the Taylors argued earlier that Taylors could not be extradited because it is not a crime in Japanese penal code to help someone “bail jump”.
The State Department and White House have not commented as of now.
