The Tokyo Summary Court on Friday fined a policy secretary of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda for violating the political funds control law, amid fallout from the ruling party’s political funds scandal.
The 46-year-old secretary, Toshifumi Ushikubo, was ordered to pay ¥300,000.
The court order came after the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office filed a summary indictment against Ushikubo earlier in the day. The prosecutors had decided not to indict Ushikubo last December, but a prosecution inquest panel determined in June that he should be indicted.
According to the summary indictment, Ushikubo failed to report a total of ¥19.52 million between 2020 and 2022. The money was transferred from the LDP’s largest faction, once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction disbanded after the scandal.
In a post on X on Friday afternoon, Hagiuda apologized and said he takes the court decision seriously. He added that he had accepted the secretary’s resignation.
Hagiuda himself faced a criminal complaint, but prosecutors decided not to indict the lawmaker and the inquest panel backed the decision.
Accounting officials of the Abe faction and a faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai have also received suspended sentences amid the scandal.
