The Tokyo District Court on Friday sentenced the former president and CEO of Olympus to 10 months in prison, suspended for three years, after convicting him of receiving illegal drugs.
The prosecution had sought a 10-month prison sentence for Stefan Kaufmann, 56.
Kaufmann had pleaded guilty to the charge at his first court hearing on Monday. He was accused of receiving illegal drugs believed to be cocaine and MDMA on multiple occasions in Tokyo between June and November last year.
"I betrayed the trust of many people. I sincerely apologize," Kaufmann said during the hearing, Kyodo News reported.
Kaufmann said he was introduced to a drug dealer by his friend and began using illegal drugs to manage work-related fatigue.
The defense argued the dealer threatened to expose Kaufmann if he stopped buying drugs, adding the defendant lost his job after a weekly magazine published an article based on an interview with the dealer.
In handing down the ruling, presiding judge Hidekazu Komada said he had given Kaufmann a suspended sentence as he has suffered social repercussions, such as his decision to step down as president of the company, and because he has promised to stop taking drugs
Kaufmann, from Germany, joined the Japanese optical precision equipment maker as an executive officer before being appointed CEO in April 2023. He resigned on Oct 28 after the allegations surfaced.
© Japan Today/Kyodo
20 Comments
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kappa ko-hi
I thought CEOs were supposed to be smart.
dagon
"Social repercussions'....
Weird legal metric probably only accessible for CEOs.
Almost every individual when arrested suffers social repercussions?
Mr Kipling
Who was the dealer? Is there an on going case? So much missing from this story.
Asiaman7
An addict has “promised to stop taking drugs”?
Weak.
The likely reason is Japan is worried about scaring off future foreign talent.
Hawk
I'd love to know that too. And the dealer got...what? Two years? Million yen fine? Poke with a sharp stick?
My bet is the dealer gave up a bigger fish (in reality the smaller fish) in Kaufmann, and walked.
N. Knight
Who said he's an addict?
N. Knight
Common practice in many parts of Tokyo. Parts of Roppongi are like a blizzard at times.
robert maes
Nice deal made before he turned himself in. Japanese justice system saves face while foreigner gets off light.
a reaction on the Gohsn fiasco
Roger Gusain
He said he was working 16-18 hours a day, but he still had time to buy drugs!
Roger Gusain
I found a great way to manage work-related fatigue -- it's called sleep.
gogogo
And the drug dealer?
WeiWei
He said it himself, did you read the article?
Now, how the easiest job in the world (CEO of a big company) produces fatigue is another question.
Keepitreal
Nothing like some blow to kick off the day a apparently then so disco biscuits to bring out the night.
smithinjapan
No doubt the "social repercussions" the man suffered included a giant golden parachute to step down, which he can use to buy more drugs.
Hawk
That sounds more like a financial repercussion.
falseflagsteve
Say no to drugs!
Mocheake
He got off easy. A "lesser"gaijin, meaning one of a darker complexion from non-European stock, would have been given a much harsher non-suspended sentence.
Mr Kipling
You mean the Nigerian dealer that sold the drugs and then blackmailed the CEO?
Sh1mon M4sada
Not just Tokyo...in ALL business and financial centres, eg Singapore is full of druggies in high stake trading and investments positions, despite death penalty. It comes with the job...Elon Musk is 'medicated' (albeit legally in USA), but in many parts of the world would be illegal.
u_s__reamer
Who was the dealer?
An Olympus hireling? Such a scenario of in-company skulduggery would make a great movie.