AUTOS

Ghosn wired $860,000 to alleged escape plotter’s firm, US says

David Yaffe-Bellany
Bloomberg

Former Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn transferred more than $860,000 in October to a company managed by one of the men accused of helping him escape criminal charges in Japan two months later, U.S. prosecutors said.

Ghosn wired $540,000 on Oct. 9 and $322,500 on Oct. 25 to Promote Fox LLC, a company managed by Peter Taylor and one of his brothers, the government said Tuesday in a court filing. Peter Taylor and his father, Michael, were arrested by U.S. authorities in May on suspicion of aiding Ghosn’s flight from Japan to Lebanon in December. The Japanese government is seeking their extradition.

In this Jan. 8, 2020, file photo, Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn speaks at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon.

Michael and Peter Taylor have been fighting to be released on bail while a federal magistrate in Boston decides whether they are eligible for extradition under the U.S. treaty with Japan. Prosecutors argued in the court filing that the payments from Ghosn show the Taylors have the financial means to escape and should be considered flight risks.

Paul Kelly, a lawyer for the Taylors, declined to comment on the financial disclosure. The defense team has argued in court filings that the Taylors are not a flight risk and should be granted bail.

The financial documents cited in the filing came from Japan’s formal extradition request, which the government said it received on Thursday.