They say nothing is stronger than family ties and that certainly was the case between Michael Jackson and his brother Jermaine. According to the older Jackson sibling, during the height of Michael’s molestation scandal in 2005, he became so protective of his brother that he was prepared to help him flee the country in order to avoid prison.
At the time of his trial, Michael was facing seven counts of sexual abuse and two for providing intoxicating agents with the intention of committing a felony. But according to The Boombox, in Jermaine’s new book, ‘You Are Not Alone: Through A Brother’s Eyes,” Jermaine shares his and the Jackson clan’s detailed plan of escape had Michael been found guilty of his high-profile molestation charges. Jermaine writes that he planned to have Michael leave via private jet plane from an airport in Van Nuys, Calif., and fly to Bahrain had his verdict come back guilty.
“There is no way my brother — an innocent man — is going to jail for this,” Jermaine writes. “He wouldn’t survive, and I cannot sit back and even contemplate the possibility, let alone the reality.”
Luckily for Jermaine, he would never have to execute his risky plot as Michael was famously acquitted of all charges.
In an interview with U.K.’s The Times, which has serialized Jermaine’s book, he defends his late brother and explains his reasons for coming up with such a daring plan.
“At the end of the day, this is supposed to be the land of the brave, home of the free, democracy, freedom of speech,” he said. “The way they were treating him, none of that existed. Why should he go to jail for something he didn’t do?”
However, according to E! Online, Jermaine’s rep, Steve Dennis, clarified the singer’s statements, claiming that the Jackson family’s radical idea was never an actual scheme.
“It wasn’t an actual plan, because if he was convicted, he would be handcuffed and put in jail,” Said Dennis. “It was an idea Michael was unaware of. It was supposed to be demonstrative of how desperate Jermaine was. He felt the justice system was so against Michael…He was determined to get him out, he was determined to save him from persecution [if convicted].” – nicholas robinson
