Japan: Prosecutors issue arrest warrants against Ghosn, ex-US soldier

Japanese authorities issued arrest warrants against a former U.S. special forces operative and two other men accused of smuggling former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan. Arrest warrants have been issued for Michael Taylor and George Antoine Zayek, whose photographs were recently released by Turkey’s state news agency, and two others including Ghosn, said prosecutors in a statement.

A Japanese news channel had reported that Ghosn boarded a bullet train from Tokyo's Shinagawa station on December 29 and got off at a station in western Osaka. The 65-year-old executive took a taxi to a hotel near Kansai airport and availed a private jet to Istanbul. It is believed that the business tycoon switched planes and travelled to Beirut.

Escaped via Istanbul

According to media reports, Taylor and Zayek accompanied the fugitive business tycoon from Japan to Turkey and landed at the smaller Ataturk airport. After travelling across the city to Istanbul airport, the duo then reportedly helped Ghosn to take a separate flight for Beirut. A global daily claimed that Taylor has served as a US special forces operative and now working as a private security contractor.

Read: Japanese Prosecutors Slam Ghosn's Previous '8 Hours Interrogation' Claim

Japanese tax officials had found out that the former Nissan executive diverted corporate money for his private use. The National Tax Agency of Japan had reached the conclusion that Ghosn made donations to a Lebanese University and paid consultant’s fees to his sister using Nissan money. The tax agency had ordered Nissan to pay taxes on the 150 million yen, which was recorded as office expenses for three years since they determined that money was spent for private purpose.

Read: Turkey Releases Images Of Men Accused Of Helping Ghosn To Escape Japan

Ghosn was awaiting trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges and was not allowed to contact his wife but she reportedly played an important role in planning his escape. The former executive claimed that he had to leave Japan because of “injustice and political persecution”. On December 30, Ghosn was smuggled out from house arrest and reportedly met Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and had a warm interaction.

Read: Video Shows Former Nissan Chairman Ghosn's Associates At Istanbul Airport

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(With inputs from agencies)