TOKYO, Nov 10 (NNN-NHK) – Tokyo prosecutors, yesterday indicted former Tokyo Olympic organising committee executive, Haruyuki Takahashi, on charges of receiving some 54 million yen (370,000 U.S. dollars) in bribes, from a major advertisement company, and a firm that sold stuffed dolls of the games’ mascots.
The prosecutors suspect that Takahashi had advertising group, ADK Holdings Inc., pay around 27 million yen over 50 occasions between Nov, 2017, and Jan, 2022, to his firm and around 20 million yen in Dec, 2018, to a different consulting firm, in exchange for using his influence in selecting the ADK as a marketing agent.
Takahashi is also suspected of accepting some seven million yen in bribes, on more than a dozen occasions between Oct, 2018 and Apr, 2021, from Sun Arrow Inc. for assisting the toy maker in securing a licensing agreement with the committee.
This was the fourth indictment against Takahashi, which adds to previous accusations against him of accepting bribes from three other companies, in return for giving them preferential treatment in the process of picking sponsors of the global event.
The bribes allegedly received by Takahashi now total 196 million yen.
Japanese law prohibits members of the Tokyo Olympic organising committee from accepting money or gifts related to their duties. Violating this law constitutes bribery.
