ID :
49038
Thu, 03/05/2009 - 07:39
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/49038
The shortlink copeid
Prosecutors may question Ozawa over arrest of his aide+
TOKYO, March 5 Kyodo - Prosecutors are considering questioning Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, in connection with the recent arrest of his secretary for allegedly violating the political funds control law, investigative sources said Wednesday.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has apparently judged it necessary
to confirm whether Ozawa was aware of the illegality of the donations in
question, the sources said.
The prosecutors arrested Takanori Okubo, a 47-year-old secretary of Ozawa, a
leading candidate to be Japan's next prime minister, on Tuesday on suspicion of
receiving illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co.
Under the political funds control law, corporate donations, except for those
given to political parties or their fund-managing organizations, are
prohibited.
Prosecutors allege Okubo fabricated political fund reports for Ozawa's fund
management body Rikuzankai and stated that the donations that actually came
from Nishimatsu were from two political groups.
Okubo is responsible for Rikuzankai's accounting. He has denied the
allegations, the sources said.
The prosecutors on Wednesday searched Ozawa's office in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture,
and the DPJ's branch office in Morioka, Iwate.
The two political groups, headed by a former Nishimatsu official, allegedly
made donations in small portions on five or six occasions during a period of
one to two weeks to three organizations related to Ozawa, including Rikuzankai,
according to the sources.
The prosecutors suspect he took care so that the donations would not draw
attention in the political fund reports, suggesting he may have been aware the
contributions were illegal, the sources said.
The two Nishimatsu-related groups made donations from 2004 to 2006 to the three
Ozawa-linked organizations, according to the sources and political fund
reports.
In 2004, for example, the Nishimatsu-linked groups offered 15 million yen in
donations on six occasions by dividing the sum into 1 million yen to 5 million
yen during a two-week period from Dec. 6 to 20.
It was also found that Nishimatsu's branch covering Ozawa's foothold in Iwate
Prefecture had asked its subcontractors to support him by making donations or
joining his support group, a source close to the embattled construction company
said.
Nishimatsu had set up companies in some locations since the 1960s to hire
engineers to work for it to facilitate its subcontracting business, according
to the source.
Those companies formed a group, to whose members the Nishimatsu branch lodged
requests to make donations to Ozawa-linked groups, buy fundraising party
tickets or join his support group, the source said.
==Kyodo
2009-03-05 00:27:57
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has apparently judged it necessary
to confirm whether Ozawa was aware of the illegality of the donations in
question, the sources said.
The prosecutors arrested Takanori Okubo, a 47-year-old secretary of Ozawa, a
leading candidate to be Japan's next prime minister, on Tuesday on suspicion of
receiving illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co.
Under the political funds control law, corporate donations, except for those
given to political parties or their fund-managing organizations, are
prohibited.
Prosecutors allege Okubo fabricated political fund reports for Ozawa's fund
management body Rikuzankai and stated that the donations that actually came
from Nishimatsu were from two political groups.
Okubo is responsible for Rikuzankai's accounting. He has denied the
allegations, the sources said.
The prosecutors on Wednesday searched Ozawa's office in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture,
and the DPJ's branch office in Morioka, Iwate.
The two political groups, headed by a former Nishimatsu official, allegedly
made donations in small portions on five or six occasions during a period of
one to two weeks to three organizations related to Ozawa, including Rikuzankai,
according to the sources.
The prosecutors suspect he took care so that the donations would not draw
attention in the political fund reports, suggesting he may have been aware the
contributions were illegal, the sources said.
The two Nishimatsu-related groups made donations from 2004 to 2006 to the three
Ozawa-linked organizations, according to the sources and political fund
reports.
In 2004, for example, the Nishimatsu-linked groups offered 15 million yen in
donations on six occasions by dividing the sum into 1 million yen to 5 million
yen during a two-week period from Dec. 6 to 20.
It was also found that Nishimatsu's branch covering Ozawa's foothold in Iwate
Prefecture had asked its subcontractors to support him by making donations or
joining his support group, a source close to the embattled construction company
said.
Nishimatsu had set up companies in some locations since the 1960s to hire
engineers to work for it to facilitate its subcontracting business, according
to the source.
Those companies formed a group, to whose members the Nishimatsu branch lodged
requests to make donations to Ozawa-linked groups, buy fundraising party
tickets or join his support group, the source said.
==Kyodo
2009-03-05 00:27:57
