Tokyo: Public prosecutors are considering indicting officials in charge of accounting at two factions of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party without arrest over a high-profile political funds scandal, informed sources said Saturday.

The accounting officials of the LDP’s largest faction, formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the faction headed by former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai allegedly failed to include some revenues from fundraising events in the factions’ financial statements, in violation of the political funds control law.

The accounting officials have admitted to the allegations during questioning by investigators, according to the sources.

The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is believed to be investigating whether the factions’ executives conspired with the accounting officials.

Over the scandal, the special investigation squad also plans to build cases against two lawmakers of the Abe faction–House of Councillors member Yasutada Ohno, 64, and House of Representatives member Yaichi Tanigawa, 82, the sources said.

The unreported revenues could total about 600 million yen at the Abe faction and top 200 million yen at the Nikai faction for 2018-2022, for which the statute of limitations has not expired.The unreported funds were distributed to faction members, and most Abe faction members who received the funds are suspected of turning them into slush funds.

Ono and Tanigawa allegedly had about 50 million yen and over 40 million yen, respectively, in such slush funds. House of Representatives member Yoshitaka Ikeda, who was arrested over the funds scandal and expelled from the LDP, is believed to have had 48 million yen.

JIJI Press