A Japanese lawmaker already indicted for bribery in a casino graft scandal was served a fresh arrest warrant by prosecutors on Wednesday on suspicion of further witness tampering.

File photo taken Feb. 14, 2020, shows Tsukasa Akimoto, a Japanese lawmaker charged with bribery over a casino graft scandal. (Kyodo)

In the latest arrest, Tsukasa Akimoto, a 48-year-old House of Representative member formerly of the Liberal Democratic Party, is suspected of asking two acquaintances to offer money to Katsunori Nakazato, 48, a former advisor to Chinese gambling operator 500.com Ltd. which was lobbying for a casino license in Japan, in exchange for false court testimony.

Daisuke Matsuura, 51, who allegedly offered Nakazato the witness tampering deal on behalf of Akimoto, told investigators he made the offer at the behest of the lawmaker. Matsuura has been arrested over the witness tampering allegation, while a 49-year-old company executive has been indicted on the same charge.

Following his initial arrest in December, Akimoto was rearrested on Aug. 20 for allegedly conspiring with supporter Akihito Awaji, 54, and another man to offer Masahiko Konno, 49, a former adviser to 500.com, a total of 30 million yen ($283,000) at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, sometime between June and July in exchange for giving false testimony.

Awaji, a company executive who lives in Tokyo, has told prosecutors they were acting on behalf of the lawmaker, a person familiar with the matter has said. Akimoto, however, has denied involvement.

Akimoto oversaw an initiative that legalized casinos to be operated in Japan at so-called integrated resorts with hotels and conference facilities as a senior vice minister in the Cabinet Office for about a year from September 2017.

Konno and Nakazato gave a total of 7.6 million yen worth of bribes to Akimoto, according to the indictment.


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