Bribery of Amari dropped but Abe still responsible for holding the ex-minister accountable for scandal
June 5, 2016
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2016 June 1 - 7 [POLITICS]
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Prosecutors on May 31 decided to drop the bribery charge against former Economy Minister Amari Akira and his two secretaries. The three had been accused of receiving bribes from a building firm in Chiba in exchange for their lobbying for compensation payments from a public housing corporation to the firm over road construction.
The law against favors-for-influence deals prohibits government employees, lawmakers and their secretaries from receiving payments from businesses and other entities in return for mediating with government offices. Violators will receive up to a 3-year jail sentence for politicians or two years’ imprisonment for secretaries.
In early January this year, a weekly magazine revealed the money scandal involving the sitting Minister in Charge of Economic Revitalization. A citizens’ ombudsman group also made the same allegations. The Chiba-based builder sought advice from Amari himself as well as his secretaries in regard to trouble with the administrative corporation Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) and asked for their presence in negotiations with UR. After securing compensation from UR, the builder treated them to expensive dinners and entertainment in addition to giving them mediation fees. This is the very classic way of influence-peddling.
The ombudsman group, after the prosecutors’ decision to not indict the three, filed a complaint against this decision to a Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution.
Amari, known to be Prime Minister Abe’s close friend, served in several important ministerial posts for about three years in the Abe Cabinet. After the revelation of Amari’s scandal, Abe, who appointed the money-tainted person to these posts, left all accountability to Amari and failed to make a move to proactively unravel the whole picture. Amari resigned from the ministerial posts at the end of January this year. Since then, he has not shown up at the Diet supposedly due to bad health. Therefore, it is increasingly important for Prime Minister Abe to fulfill his responsibility to have Amari explain about the allegations.
Abe should not draw the curtains on the Amari scandal with the disposition of the non-prosecution decision by prosecutors. If not holding Amari accountable for the scandal, Abe himself is not qualified to continue as Prime Minister.
Past related articles:
> Ministers’ frequent scandals represent arrogant anti-people Abe government [February 12, 2016]
> JCP calls for total ban on corporate political donations in response to Cabinet minister’s bribery scandal [February 4, 2016]
> Economy minister’s resignation will not put end to his bribery allegations: Yamashita [January 29, 2016]
> Economy minister Amari suspected of taking bribes [January 22, 2016]
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