Former Nissan CEO paid $ 500,000 in Bitcoin to escape Japan

U.S. prosecutors say Anthony Ghosn, son of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, paid $ 500,000 to one U.S. resident in Bitcoins. He allegedly helped with his father’s escape from Japan, the Wall Street Journal reported. His father was charged there with financial crimes.

From 2018, Carlos Ghosn lived in a court-monitored house in Tokyo. Then, in December 2019, he fled from Japan to Lebanon in a Hollywood style – hidden in a suitcase for a musical instrument.

Ex-CEO Nissan helped as best he could

Ghosn was assisted by former US Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter. The former Nissan CEO was in Tokyo in April when the Taylors arrived under the guise of attending violin concerts. Ghosn was able to visit the nearby Grand Hyatt Hotel, where he met Taylor. He then used public air transport from Tokyo to Osaka, where a larger suitcase for musical instruments – with Ghosn inside – was loaded on a private plane bound for Istanbul and from there to Beirut.

Peter Taylor received a BTC for $ 500,000. To confirm their findings, prosecutors presented documents from the Coinbase crypto exchange showing the alleged transfers from Anthony Ghosn to Peter Taylor. They added these documents to the filling, which argued against the bail of Michael and Peter Taylor. They noted that “they now have access to Ghosn’s vast resources with which to flee.”

Both Taylors are currently being held in a county jail outside Boston, while Japanese authorities are demanding their extradition for illegally harboring a criminal.

Elder Ghosn also invested $ 862,500 in a company associated with Peter Taylor just before the December escape. Ghosn later commented and said that “I helped everyone who was with me as best I could, financially and in any way.”

In his career, Ghosn has served as CEO of Michelin North America, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Renault. Also as Chairman of the Board of AvtoVAZ, eventually as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Nissan. He was arrested in Japan in November 2018 after allegedly violating the country’s financial law.

In particular, Nissan claimed that Ghosn had been underestimating its compensation in reports on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for many years and that “many other serious offenses have been identified, such as the personal use of the company’s property.”

Ghosn is currently free in Lebanon, which has no extradition agreement with Japan.

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