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world news Diamars 15 Juni 2021

Americans stand trial in Japan, accused in Ghosn's escape

(AP) — Two Americans and Peter Taylor of arranging rare, even for serious crimes.
charged with helping for- to hide Ghosn in a box for The possible penalty of three
mer Nissan chairman Car- musical equipment. It was years in prison is the mini-
los Ghosn flee Japan while loaded onto a private jet that mum required for an extradi-
he was facing accusations flew him from the western tion.
of financial misconduct city of Osaka to Lebanon via
agreed Monday that they Turkey in December 2019. Separately, the same court
took part in a scheme for is trying another American,
him to escape the country. Ryozo Kitajima, one of the Greg Kelly, a former Nissan
prosecutors, said Peter Tay- executive vice president, on
Statements by Michael Tay- lor met with Ghosn at a hotel charges he under-reported
lor and his son, Peter, on the several times in 2019 and in- Ghosn’s compensation. That
opening day of their trial in troduced Ghosn to his father. trial began in September.
Tokyo suggest the pair don’t He said Peter Taylor also re-
plan to fight charges of assist- ceived $562,500 in two trans- Kelly’s trial has focused on
ing a criminal. That carries fers to pay for chartering the whether reporting of de-
a possible penalty of up to jet and other expenses. Peter ferred compensation for
three years in prison. Taylor arranged for Ghosn to Ghosn may have violated
change his clothing at a To- the law. Several other senior
Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys kyo hotel. His father and an- executives at Nissan, includ-
for the Taylors, told The As- other man, George-Antoine saying they were not tortured ing some non-Japanese, were
sociated Press after the court Zayek later accompanied and were treated in a way that Peter Taylor told a Massachu- aware of the arrangements.
session that he wants the trial Ghosn to the Osaka airport, was “fair and professional.” setts court in January that he
to “proceed efficiently.” He Kitajima said. met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan Kelly says he is innocent and
said ending the trial quickly The trial’s next session is set to pitch his digital market- was only looking for lawful
is “in the best interests of his Zayek has not been arrested. for June 29, when prosecu- ing company to help repair ways to pay Ghosn more to
clients.” He declined to con- tors will continue their ques- Ghosn’s tarnished reputa- prevent him from leaving for
firm his team was hoping for The prosecutors said bitcoins tioning. tion. He said Ghosn asked a rival automaker.
a suspended sentence if they worth $500,000 were trans- him to bring him gifts, food
are convicted, meaning no ferred from Ghosn’s son The Taylors were arrested in and DVDs from his wife, and Before his arrest, Ghosn was
time would be served. He Anthony’s account to Peter Massachusetts last year and to deliver gifts, including to an auto industry star, hav-
stressed the decision was up Taylor in 2020, purportedly extradited to Japan in March. relatives in Lebanon. ing orchestrated Nissan’s
to the judge. to cover the Taylors’ defense Ghosn has French, Lebanese rebound from the brink of
costs. and Brazilian citizenship and Peter Taylor said he left Ja- bankruptcy after he was sent
The Taylors appeared calm Lebanon has no extradition pan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, to Japan by its French alliance
as they were led into the After a brief discussion with treaty with Japan. The au- 2019, and was not in Japan partner Renault in 1999.
courtroom in handcuffs, Chief Judge Hideo Nirei and thorities say Ghosn paid the when Ghosn is accused of
with ropes tied around their their defense lawyers, the Taylors at least $1.3 million. fleeing. He denied he was in Ghosn’s pay was halved, by
waists. Taylors agreed there were no Ghosn led Nissan Motor Co. touch with his father at that about 1 billion yen ($10 mil-
mistakes in the statement. for two decades before his ar- time, court documents say. lion), in 2010 when Japan
They said little except to an- rest in 2018. He was charged began requiring disclosure of
swer the judge’s questions, Prosecutors said that during with falsifying securities re- No Japanese executives have high executive pay.
such as “Yes, your honor,” their detention the Taylors ports in under-reporting his been charged in the scandal
and “I hear you well,” when had expressed remorse and compensation and of breach at Nissan, Yokohama-based The concern was that his
asked about simultaneous that the pair had been mis- of trust in using Nissan mon- manufacturer of the Leaf relatively high compensation
interpreting relayed through led to believe helping some- ey for personal gain. He says electric car, March subcom- might be viewed unfavorably
headphones. one jump bail was not illegal he is innocent and says he pact and Infiniti luxury mod- since Japanese top executives
in Japan. They said Ghosn’s fled Japan because he did not els. tend to draw lower pay pack-
Prosecutors read out a state- wife Carole told them Ghosn expect to get a fair trial. More ages than their peers in other
ment accusing Michael Tay- was being tortured. The pros- than 99% of criminal cases in Extraditions between Japan countries.
lor, a former Green Beret, ecutors quoted the Taylors as Japan result in convictions. and the U.S. are relatively

Zambia's Kenneth Kaunda, 97, hospitalized amid virus surge

(AP) — Zambia’s first encing a surge in COVID-19 released Monday by the Afri- Africa and Zimbabwe. Kaun- bases, training camps, refu-
president Kenneth Kaun- cases and the country’s ca Centers for Disease Con- da allowed the guerilla orga- gee centers and administra-
da, 97, has been admitted founding president was ad- trol and Prevention. nizations to maintain military tive offices.
to hospital, his office an- mitted to Maina Soko Medi-
nounced Monday, as the cal Center, a treatment center Kaunda was a leader of the
southern African country for the disease in the capital, campaign that ended British
battles a surge in COV- Lusaka. colonial rule and he became
ID-19 cases. Zambia’s first democratically
Zambia’s 7-day rolling aver- elected president in 1964. He
Kaunda asked for “all Zam- age of daily new cases has ris- led the country, which be-
bians and the international en dramatically over the past came a one-party state, until
community to pray for him two weeks from 1.44 new 1991 when he was defeated
as the medical team is doing cases per 100,000 people on in an election following the
everything possible to ensure May 30 to 8.91 new cases per introduction of multiparty
that he recovers,” according 100,000 people on June 13. politics.
to the statement issued by
Kaunda’s administrative as- Zambia, with a population of During his rule, Kaunda
sistant Rodrick Ngolo. about 18 million people, has made Zambia a center for
a cumulative total of nearly anti-colonial groups fighting
The short statement did not 108,000 confirmed cases of to end white minority rule
specify the cause of Kaunda’s COVID-19, including 1,348 in southern African countries
illness, but Zambia is experi- deaths, according to figures including Namibia, South