Tow advocates of the discredited Japanese legislator Tsukasa Akimoto have been accused of eyewitness tampering in the continuous trial of the previous casino policymaker. The last Tuesday, the District Court in Tokyo sentenced Fumihiko Sato and Akihito Awaji to 14 months and 12 months in jail respectively for trying to bribe a previous employee of Chinese virtual gaming company 500.com.
This is the first example in the history of Japan of anyone who had been prosecuted under the Act-on-Punishment of Organized Crimes since its revision about three years ago. Akimoto had faced critical corruption allegations for accepting bribes from multiple people. The china company expected to proceed with its offer for a license to establish a casino by lining the lathe legislator’s pocket.
Arrest on Christmas Day
All most all the time, Akimoto had been a member of the former PM Shinzo Abe’s office and a major figure involved in forming a policy for the last legalized casino market. He was caught on Christmas Day and got charged for corruption afterward.
In the previous month, Sato and Awaji agreed on trying to suborn Konno, alluring him with a total of two hundred eighty-six thousand dollars in return for a fake testimony favoring Akimoto at trial.
Konno was delivered a suspended-prison sentence for suborning Akimoto in October. However, Konno denied taking the money. Things turned more critical for Akimoto when his fingerprint got recognized on a stack of cash.
Government Takes Casino’s Side
Japan had passed an authority bill to feature casinos by law. This enabling bill gives the government the authority to establish a model of rules for the next casino market. It comes into legislation which was passed in 2018 enabling the implementation of casino-resorts. The following bidding procedure invites operators to make a group with expected host cities and regional development partners to contend for approximately three licenses.
The process became slow as for the pandemic coronavirus spread and the unexpected resignation of an eager supporter of casino liberalization, Abe. The proposal targets to make casino prizes’ taxation and exemption on winnings’ taxes clear for the foreign residents.