Former Democratic Party of Japan Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa will face questioning concerning misappropriated political funds on Jan 10-11, 2012, according to a Tokyo Court decision. The date was decided at a Tokyo District Court pre-trial arrangement proceeding, TBS reported Thursday.
Ozawa’s court date will proceed a Diet session by just a few days, and a verdict may be reached as early as mid-April. Nine others involved in the scandal, including Ozawa’s former aide Tomohiro Ishikawa, are expected to appear in court next month and voice recordings of Ishikawa will be presented before the court for a second time on Nov 14 of this year. Other voice recordings exist, but have not been admitted as evidence.
Ozawa was indicted in January for allegedly violating the political funds control law. Although his party membership has been suspended and he holds no voting rights, Ozawa still leads the DPJ's largest faction with about 140 members.
© Japan Today
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some14some
10-11-12 (dragon year) lucky dates for Ichiro Ozawa, couldn't find better issue to deal with in the new year?
beangry
This is a racist law. If non-Japanese cannot even influence or donate to a politician, they have no political say. That is the same as saying you must pay taxes but your civil rights have 0 value. We're talking about long-time and even lifelong residents of Japan, they just aren't Japanese.
smithinjapan
I don't see what this will accomplish. He's just say he has a foggy memory and that'll be the end of it. Present the evidence and try the guy already, hopefully locking him up when it's done.
nath
How can he lead when he has no rights? Weird game here.
tmtmsnb
"hopefully locking him up when it's done"
spare me the agony of needing to see that nightmarish boss face from time to time.
minello7
Wasn't he supposed to be in court in October??????
CrazyJoe
Ozawa is charged with alleged false financial reporting by Rikuzan-kai, his fund management organization, in 2004 and 2005. It involved Rikuzan-kai's purchase of a plot of land in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, in October 2004 for 340 million yen, and its borrowing of 400 million yen from Ozawa. Rikuzan-kai allegedly failed to enter the transactions in its political fund report for the year, instead falsely entering it in the report for 2005. (Daily Yomiuri Online)
He was charged by the "Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution". He was never indicted by Tokyo prosecutors.
Graham DeShazo
Why wait so long? Doesn't that benefit the defense?
wanderlust
Plenty of time to shred any remaining evidence, produce false documentation, prepare witnesses... He'll be found innocent of course.