Istanbul court resumes trial of Turks in Ghosn escape case

Istanbul court resumes trial of Turks in Ghosn escape case

Author: AFPID: 1611143464344188500Wed, 2021-01-20 11:28

ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court on Wednesday resumed the trial of seven Turkish suspects accused of helping smuggle former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn "in a large musical instrument case“ from Japan to Lebanon.

The trial is trying to piece together the details of how Ghosn “” a French-Lebanese-Brazilian national who was a global business superstar when his career came crashing to an end “” fled Japan in December 2019 while out on bail facing financial misconduct charges.

The 66-year-old fugitive was arrested in November 2018 and spent 130 days in prison before completing an audacious escape act that humiliated Japanese justice officials and raised questions about who was involved.

The hearing concerns an employee with Turkey's MNG Jet private airline who allegedly used four pilots and two flight attendants to move Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon via Istanbul.

The pilots and the MNG Jet employee are accused of "illegally smuggling a migrant“ and face up to eight years in jail. A hearing in July released them on bail but barred them from leaving Turkey.

The two flight attendants are accused of failing to report a crime and face one-year sentences.

All seven suspects deny the charges.

The indictment says the escape plan from Japan to Lebanon