The trial of disgraced House of Representatives member Tsukasa Akimoto is scheduled to start on 29 March, according to a report by local media outlet FNN.
Akimoto stands accused of attempting to bribe a witness and former 500.com advisor with JPY20 million in cash to commit perjury in recent trials of 500.com employees accused of offering Akimoto bribes worth JPY7.6 million.
The Chinese online gaming company had initially been looking to secure favor in regards to bids to develop an IR in either Hokkaido or Okinawa. 500.com never pursued those bids, even before both locations withdrew from Japan’s IR race.
The other four men charged with bribery were found guilty in initial trials. Akimoto’s legal team had been proceeding with the pretrial process to narrow down the issues and evidence prior to the trial date of 29 March being announced.
Akimoto has maintained his innocence since his arrest.
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