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MUFG Bank has fired an employee for allegedly stealing assets worth between 1 billion and 2 billion yen from safe deposit boxes of some 60 customers in Tokyo, the Japanese megabank said.
The worker was dismissed on Nov 14 after admitting to stealing the assets at two branches from April 2020 to October this year. The bank is investigating the theft and consulting with police.
The bank said the thefts occurred at the Nerima and Tamagawa branches and the exact value of the items stolen is still being investigated.
The incident came to light on Oct 31 after the bank received an inquiry from a client, it said. The bank has confirmed there were no similar incidents at other branches after conducting an emergency assessment.
"The former employee was responsible for managing the safe deposit boxes and took advantage of this position to open customers' safes without permission and steal their assets," MUFG Bank said in a statement.
The bank failed to prevent the incident despite having strict rules governing safe deposit box management and a system under which periodic checks are conducted by a third party, the bank added.
The bank said it has already contacted the customers affected and will swiftly compensate them. It has not disclosed details of the former worker.
The incident comes in the wake of another in which a former employee at major Japanese financial firm Nomura Securities Co was indicted earlier this month on suspicion of robbery, attempted murder and arson.
Yusei Kajiwara is alleged to have stolen some 18 million yen in cash from an elderly couple after rendering the woman unconscious with a sleeping drug and then setting their house on fire on July 28, according to the indictment. The couple, who were Nomura customers, escaped unscathed, investigative sources said.
© KYODO
16 Comments
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DanteKH
That's it?
How about Police criminal charges??
As always, Kyodo articles are like ChatGPT made tweets, a lot of writing and very little, to none, information.
JeffLee
No police investigation a month after the bank found out?
Yubaru
And is this the suspect in the bank heist too? Otherwise why add this at the end?
sakurasuki
Wait security cameras that cover all angles doesn't exist? Log book? Also two-person (or more) rule for employee when entering those deposits, getting the keys and opening the door to deposits?
The_Beagle
Incredible oversight by the bank where an employee could single-handedly get into customers' safety deposit boxes, made greatly more surprising by the fact that he could get away with it for so long. That bank's policies and procedures need to be audited asap.
garymalmgren
stealing assets worth between 1 billion and 2 billion yen from safe deposit boxes
Now, THAT is a big discrepancy!
tigerjane
wow, shocking in N. America there are 2 keys given for a safety deposit box to the customer and the staff have no access to the lock box.
piskian
Not to worry, Japanese banks have been stealing from their customers in unpaid interest for generations.
Nothing to see here,move on.
Lindsay
Why hasn’t he been arrested?
factchecker
Why isn't this jerk in the slammer right now?
wallace
Banks do not like to prosecute because then it becomes very public.
BertieWooster
OK for banks to steal from customers with bank charges, etc., but not OK for a single individual to do it.
Eat the left
To be fair, all services have a charge.
WoodyLee
More to come for sure, Japan is so laxed when it comes to dealing with Pro thieves and the police is not doing enough educating the general public.
The Internet is recruiting and also educating home grown thieves on how to carry out quick thefts from stores, homes, and businesses and in most case they get away with it.
buckle your seat belts as it is going to get much worse.
gokai_wo_maneku
I guess he got carried away and didn't know when to stop.
Peter Neil
bankers have always been known as a criminal class. they just wear ties.