Image: TAUSEEF MUSTAFA (AFP)
After several arrests on suspicion of bribes, prosecutors are now targeting Japan’s largest advertising agency Dentsu, which was the exclusive marketing agency for the Tokyo Games, rival Hakuhodo and four other companies.
According to information from the Japanese news agency Kyodo, the six companies and seven suspects are facing charges of alleged collusion in tenders. Japan’s competition commission has turned to the public prosecutor’s office.
Dentsu and Hakuhodo had already been the target of raids at the end of last year. Haruyuki Takahashi, a former Dentsu employee who served on the board of the Games Organizing Committee, has been jailed on multiple counts of corruption. Dentsu Group boss Hiroshi Igarashi has admitted to prosecutors that the company was involved in illegal bid-fixing for the games, sources said.
Yasuo Mori, ex-manager at the Olympic Games Organizing Committee, is among those suspected of violating the antimonopoly law, Kyodo said. It is about illegal bid-fixing for contracts in connection with test events for the Olympic Games, which took place in Tokyo in 2021. Employees of the six companies accused by the Competition Commission are suspected of having been in cahoots with Mori. Prosecutors had recently arrested Mori and three people.
more from Olympic Games
Which trail leads to gold?
The “cleaner” became bronze
Stadlober wants to make Pyeongchang forget
Wolfgang Kindl: “I was missing that”
: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
