Tokyo seeks arrests of Carlos Ghosn, 3 others over escape from Japan

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Tokyo prosecutors obtained arrest warrants Thursday for fugitive businessman Carlos Ghosn and three others in connection with the former Nissan executive's escape from Japan.

Ghosn, who was free on bond awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct, fled last month by hiding in a musical instrument case that was loaded onto a private jet. He went to Lebanon and told reporters he escaped because he'd been denied fair treatment by the Japanese legal system.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has obtained a new warrant that accuses the 65-year-old Ghosn of violating immigration control laws by illegally leaving Japan. Three others were charged with aiding in the elaborate escape, including 59-year-old Michael Taylor, who was identified as a former U.S. Army Green Beret.

Authorities believe Ghosn met up with the other three at a Tokyo hotel on Dec. 29 before traveling to Osaka by train, where he was then smuggled aboard the private jet.

Prosecutors have also targeted Ghosn's former attorney, Junichiro Hironaka, in the investigation. He had led Ghosn's defense but resigned earlier this month. Authorities seized documents from his office Wednesday, but Hironaka refused to hand over Ghosn's personal computer, citing Japanese law that allows attorneys the right to withhold items containing confidential client information.