A senior official of the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee and three executives were arrested this Wednesday after an ongoing investigation into competition violations in connection with the organization of the event.
Yasuo Mori, former vice chairman of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, was arrested along with Koji Henmi of the Japanese advertising company Dentsu and two other executives on charges of violating antitrust laws and anticompetitive practices.
According to local media reports, the four men are accused of manipulating a series of tenders totaling 40 billion yen (about 285 million euros) to organize Olympic events.
Investigations into the manipulation of tenders for venues that served as proving grounds for the Olympics, as well as the event itself, are being conducted by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, which is investigating antitrust violations.
Some contracts were reportedly bid for only one bidder, while Tokyo prosecutors say arrests in bid-fraud scandals are just beginning and could involve more companies, according to media reports.
The detainees decided in advance which company would win the contract and “agreed that only the company that wins the contract should participate in each tender,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The prosecution is also investigating another bribery scandal involving former Dentsu chief Haruyuki Takahashi, who was a member of the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held in 2021 due to Covid-19.
Widespread allegations of corruption linked to Tokyo 2020 have suspended Sapporo, northern Japan’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Games.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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