Japanese police raided the home of a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee on Tuesday amid allegations of receiving money from a sponsor with whom he signed a consulting contract, local media reported.
It is suspected that 78-year-old Haruyuki Takahashi received hundreds of thousands of dollars from clothing trading company Oki Holdings and was the “official partner” of a massive sporting event that took place last year after it was postponed for a year due to the start corona pandemic.
This may have constituted bribery as Takahashi was considered a quasi-government official and was not allowed to accept money or gifts related to his position, the Kyodo news agency reported.
According to local media reports, the sports consulting firm run by Takahashi is suspected of taking money from Aoki in exchange for a contract signed in 2017.
In October 2018, Aoki became a sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics, allowing it to use the event’s logo and sell officially licensed products.
#Headers☝️
???????? #Tokyo2020 implicated in a corruption case. A member of the executive board of the organizing committee, Haruyuki Takahashi, is suspected of receiving money through his company from one of the partners of the Games.https://t.co/2HYELYRDcy
— Franks Jeux (@FrancsJeux) July 21, 2022
Takahashi told the Yomiuri Shimbun last week that the money his company received was spent on consulting services.
He was quoted as saying, “There was no conflict of interest with my position as member of the board of directors of the Organizing Committee.”
OK also issued a statement last week saying that it does not comment on reports of payouts.
Takahashi, the former CEO of Japan’s largest advertising agency Dentsu, has been on the board of directors of the Tokyo Olympics since June 2014. The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games was dissolved last month.
Source: AFP