The Japanese government has decided to allow bailiffs to force suspects to wear GPS trackers, Kyodo News reported on March 3.
This decision was the authorities’ response to the escape of the former CEO of Nissan Motor, Carlos Ghosn, outside the criminal proceedings. Also, the authorities, as part of the reform of criminal procedure legislation, are going to introduce criminal liability for failure to appear in court and for attempting to leave their place of residence without permission.
The Cabinet of Ministers is expected to approve the relevant bill through hearings in Parliament before the end of the current session. The actual implementation of the law is expected five years after its publication.
It is expected that, first of all, such beacons will be used for representatives of the management of companies with international connections. “It is extremely difficult to bring a man to trial after having fled abroad”– explained the Minister of Justice of Japan Ken Saito at a meeting with journalists.
“Japan has for the first time proposed a legal framework that allows the use of GPS to track defendants. It is important not to let the system get confused.”added.
Starting in 2025, those who attempt to remove trackers without permission or enter airports and marinas without permission are expected to be detained and sent to prison for up to a year. If you do not appear in court or leave your place of residence for a long time, you can be detained for two years.
The bill also provides for the creation of a system of guards responsible for the defendant’s appearance in court and monitoring his behavior.
As part of the proposed reform, the government also plans to keep the identity of the victim secret, especially in cases of sexual assault. According to the authorities, this will allow them to protect themselves from the attacker.
Let’s remember that Carlos Ghosn fled from Japan to Lebanon at the end of 2019. He was involved in a fraud case involving the misuse of Nissan funds. For this, he used a box for musical instruments, and bypassing customs control in Japan he went to Istanbul, from where he had already flown to Lebanon.
After turning himself in in early 2019, he was released on 1 billion yen (554 billion rubles) bail.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.