BOSTON (Reuters) – Lawyers for two men accused of helping former Nissan Motor Co Ltd chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan while awaiting a lawsuit over financial expenses are called the U.S. Supreme Court has intervened and delayed their release.
Lawyers for U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor have asked the court for an arrest warrant that cleared the route for deportation to Japan as early as Friday.
Taylor’s lawyers upheld late Thursday arguing that their clients could not be prosecuted in Japan for aiding and abetting “bail” and, if removed, that they intended non-stop questioning and torture.
The request was made by lawyers after a federal appeals court in Boston on Thursday rejected an order that would suspend the expansion of the Taylors while they appealed for lower court ruling. The U.S. Department of State agreed to release them in October.
“At least the U.S. courts have the best opportunity for petitioners to raise these issues, including exercising their right of appeal, before they are handed over to the public. situation that awaits them at the hands of the Japanese government, ”Taylors’ lawyers wrote.
The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Taylors were arrested in May at the request of Japan after being accused of helping Ghosn flee Japan on December 29, 2019, hidden in a box and on a private jet before reaching the home of her child, Lebanon. , which does not have a peace treaty with Japan.
Ghosn was awaiting trial on allegations that he was involved in a financial crime, including by misrepresenting his compensation in Nissan ‘s financial statements. Ghosn is in denial.
Prosecutors said elder Taylor, a 60-year-old private security expert, and Peter Taylor, 27, received $ 1.3 million for their services.
Reporting with Nate Raymond in Boston; edited by Jonathan Oatis