Political ethics council head filed falsified funds report

   On August 29, it was revealed that the Liberal Democratic Party’s local electoral district branch headed by Tamazawa Tokuichiro, the House of Representatives Political Ethics Deliberative Council chair, filed its 2003 political funds report with falsified receipts in violation of the Political Funds Control Law.

   Those receipts have the same serial numbers printed on them, though the dates, amount of payment, or usage of money were different. There are five receipts with “No. 010987,” three receipts with “No. 010990,” and two receipts with “No. 010991.” The amount of political activity expenditures for those ten receipts totals nearly four million yen.

   The LDP branch itself admitted that only three out of those ten receipts are authentic.

   Tamazawa on the same day expressed his intention to resign as chair of the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics, saying, “I haven’t notice this at all during the past four years. I apologize. Immediately, I will make corrections.”

- Akahata, August 30, 2007

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   Tamazawa on September 3 quit from the LDP under the pressure from LDP executives.                                                                          - Akahata, September 4, 2007