Turkey jails three for aiding Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan

A Turkish court convicted an executive of Turkish jet company MNG and two pilots over their role in flying former Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan during his escape to Lebanon.

The court sentenced them to four years and two months on charges of migrant smuggling. It acquitted two other pilots of the same charge.

Ghosn, 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.

He was arrested in November 2018 and had been expected to face trial in April 2020 on charges including understating his pay and misusing company assets.

He spent 130 days in prison before being released on bail and completing his audacious escape act.

Ghosn, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said he fled because he could not get a fair trial in Japan.

Nissan's former CEO appeared in a Tokyo court on Wednesday in the trial of Greg Kelly, a former aide to Carlos Ghosn facing charges of financial misconduct.

Kelly is the only person currently on trial in Japan in connection with the Ghosn saga after the auto tycoon jumped bail in late 2019 and escaped to Lebanon, where he remains an international fugitive.

Kelly faces a single charge of conspiring to under-report tens of millions of dollars in pay that Ghosn was allegedly promised after his retirement.