House of Representatives member Tsukasa Akimoto was arrested Thursday on suspicion of bribing a witness in connection with a scandal involving an integrated resort project with a casino as its central attraction.
Akimoto, 48, was indicted earlier this year on charges of accepting bribes worth about 7.6 million yen between September 2017 and February 2018, when he was state minister for integrated resorts at the Cabinet Office, from Masahiko Konno, a former adviser to the Chinese company 500.com, among other people. The bribe includes 3 million yen in cash they offered Akimoto at the lower house members' office building.
A company executive recently arrested in connection with the case has told the special investigation squad that Akimoto asked him to tell Konno to make a false statement at a trial for Akimoto's case.
The executive, Akihito Awaji, was arrested on Aug. 4 on suspicion of violating the section of the organized crime law that prohibits bribing witnesses.
Awaji, 54, is suspected of conspiring with company executive Fumihiko Sato, 50, to propose to Konno payment of 10 million yen to 20 million yen in cash between June and July, as a reward for lying in testimony given at the trial.
According to sources close to the case, they allegedly asked Konno to testify at the trial that he did not meet Akimoto at the lower house members' office building.
Akimoto told The Yomiuri Shimbun that Awaji was one of his supporters and that he dined with Awaji together with other people after being released on bail in February.
Akimoto denied any involvement in the suborning case, saying he had never asked for a witness to be bribed or been approached to do so.
People detained in the witness bribing case also include company executive Kazuhiro Miyatake, 49, who was arrested on suspicion of offering Katsunori Nakazato, a former 500.com adviser indicted for bribery, several million yen in cash as a reward for giving false testimony.
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