Japanese justice has not finished with the escape of Carlos Ghosn at the end of 2019. Tokyo has formally transmitted to the United States an extradition request concerning the two Americans suspected of having helped the former car magnate in his incredible flight, said a federal prosecutor Thursday, July 2.

In accordance with the treaty between the two countries, the Japanese government had 45 days after their arrest to send this request. Michael Taylor, 59, a former member of the US Special Forces who has converted to private security, and his son Peter Taylor, 27, have been in detention since their arrest on May 20 in Harvard, Massachusetts, at the request of Tokyo.

"Great risk of leakage"

Their lawyers have asked for the proceedings to be quashed or, at a minimum, for their provisional release, but prosecutors say they pose a "great risk of absconding".

The two men, as well as the Lebanese George-Antoine Zayek, are accused by Tokyo of having helped the former boss of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance to escape Japanese justice on December 29.

Accused of financial embezzlement, Carlos Ghosn, who has French, Lebanese and Brazilian nationalities, was on bail, with a ban on leaving Japan, when he was exfiltrated from the archipelago hidden in a box for a musical instrument.

Carlos Ghosn has since taken refuge in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. During a highly publicized press conference, he posed as the victim of a "set-up" and assured that he had had "no other choice" than to flee from "partial" justice.

With AFP

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