Prosecutors have requested a warrant for the arrest of the former Minister of justice of Japan, Kazuyuki kawaii and his wife Anri Kawai on charges of violating the election law by misuse of funds and bribery of voters during the election campaign. As reported on Thursday the Agency Kyodo, during the day, both will be detained.
The investigation came to the conclusion that kawaii has led the election campaign of his wife, who ran in the upper house of Parliament in elections in July last year. It is noted that the former Minister gave a total of 24 million yen ($224 million) in cash to voters in one district in the Prefecture of Hiroshima. The money he gave including representatives of local authorities.
Anri kawaii, according to the investigation, had spent for the same purpose about 1.5 million yen ($14 million). During interrogation, according to the Agency Кyodo, about 100 people were told that they were bribed. Both husband and wife in the last elections were held in the upper house of Parliament. They deny that they carried out any activity contrary to the law.
This week politicians have left the ranks of the ruling liberal democratic party (LDP), however, stated desire to remain members of Parliament. Parliamentary session, give them the right to immunity ended on June 17, which provided an opportunity for the Prosecutor to send them under arrest.
At the end of October last year, the kawaii, who was considered a politician close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, resigned from the post of Minister after one of the weekly appeared information about the fact that his wife during his election campaign violated the law by misuse of funds of his staff. In particular, it was reported that it is half inflated payments to certain salaried personnel.
In March the Prosecutor’s office of the Japanese Prefecture of Hiroshima have raided the office of the former Minister. Also during the investigations and was arrested three aides Anri Kawai. The situation caused a wave of criticism from the opposition against the former Minister and his wife, who continued to be in the LDP after the scandal.
