Japanese lawmaker to serve four years in prison for casino bribe case

Tsukasa Akimoto, a Japanese lawmaker, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay 7

Tsukasa Akimoto, a Nipponese lawmaker, was sentenced to quaternion years in prison and ordered to make up 7.6m yen ($69,000) inward fines for accepting bribes and attestator tampering inward a casino-development project.

The former ruling Liberal Democratic Party member, Akimoto was found hangdog of receiving bribes worth 7.6m yen betwixt Sept 2017 and February 2018. The lawmaker was also found shamefaced of offering money to ii former advisers to the Chinese unfaltering 500.com inwards exchange for off-key judicature testimony favourable to him.

It’s uncommon for a lawmaker to be given a prison house condemn without suspension, but Akimoto’s actions were described as an “unprecedented obstruction of justice.”

Akimoto denied receiving the bribes and insisted he wanted the former advisers to the Chinese firmly to only when evidence the the true inwards court.

Akimoto’s claim of innocence was dismissed by Presiding Judge Toshihiko Niwa, who mentioned: "Statements of those who admitted to providing hard cash were fully believable as they were strongly supported by object lens evidence,"

Akimoto’s former state-paid secretary, Akihiro Toyoshima (who also pleaded not guilty), was sentenced to two years in prison on graft charges.

In the graft case, iv to a greater extent people were found shamed of gift money to Akimoto and another four were convicted for collaborating with him inwards the see tampering case.

During his time as a Senior Vice Minister inward the Cabinet Office (for nearly a year from September 2017), Akimoto’s role was overseeing the Government’s computer programme of legalising the operation of casinos at structured resorts, with hotels and conferences facilities.