Former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. (Credit: AFP)
After organizing Carlos Ghosn's rocky escape from Japan, American ex-special forces officer Michael Taylor is now holding him accountable in a new documentary, broadcasted by Apple TV+.
Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn, a four-part documentary series directed by British director James Jones, draws on investigations by the Wall Street Journal to paint a comprehensive portrait of Renault-Nissan's former boss and his fall from grace.
Apple TV+ is due to broadcast the series worldwide starting Aug. 25. The series chronicles Ghosn's meteoric career to his arrest in late 2018 in Japan on suspicion of financial malfeasance.
"He's a larger-than-life character, with enormous qualities and very big flaws," journalist Nick Kostov, one of the authors of the book that inspired the series, described to AFP.
The Apple series focuses on his escape from Japan by private jet, hidden in a musical instrument box, thanks to the experience of former green beret Michael Taylor and his son, David. Both served time in a Japanese prison for their involvement in Ghosn's escape, after they were arrested in the United States and extradited.
Since then, Ghosn has remained in his gilded prison in Lebanon, which does not extradite its nationals. The Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese businessman is the subject of arrest warrants in both Japan and France.
Taylor thought that "evacuating [Ghosn] from Japan was like saving him from North Korea," according to Nick Kostov. But time in a Japanese prison cell broke the ex-elite soldier, as well as his son.
"Carlos's time in prison was a laugh compared to what we endured," with long stints in solitary confinement, Taylor describes in the documentary.
Money laundering?
Taylor is now accusing Ghosn of not having paid him for his services. "I put a million dollars of my own money into it, in legal fees," Taylor says.
"I'm a good friend, but I can also be a great enemy. The story is far from over," says Taylor. Throughout the documentary, Ghosn, 69, is portrayed as a man whose success has gone to his head, going so far as to organize a party in his own honor at the Château de Versailles.
The Wall Street Journal reporters then turn their attention to an alleged money-laundering scheme in Oman, based on extracts from Ghosn's correspondence. As part of this scheme, millions of dollars in Renault bonuses were allegedly allocated to an Omani billionaire before being paid out to Ghosn.
According to Ghosn, he was only paid for business advice. According to a Renault lawyer, it was "a typical conflict of interest" and "very well paid."
In Japan, there can be no trial in his absence. In France, the businessman is still under threat of trial.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
