According to sources, prosecutors plan to file charges against disgraced politician Manabu Horii on August 29 for failing to declare political funds he received from the Abe faction of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Horii, 52, who is also being investigated in a related financial scandal, resigned as a member of the lower house on August 28.
Horii sold tickets to the Abe faction’s fundraising parties and the faction returned amounts that exceeded his quota to Horii, the sources said.
He had followed the party’s policy of not declaring income as donations in the income and expenditure reports of political funds, which was a violation of the law on the control of political funds, the sources said.
An LDP investigation found that the Abe faction repaid Horii 21.96 million yen ($151,000) in revenue over a five-year period ending in 2022.
Prosecutors are expected to seek a fine for the 17 million yen Horii received between 2019 and 2022 because the statute of limitations has expired on the 4.82 million yen from 2018, the sources said.
Ten people, including three lawmakers, have been charged with violating the Political Donations Control Act in connection with the LDP’s unreported political donations scandal.
Horii is also suspected of having distributed condolence money to voters in his constituency in Hokkaido through his associates, thereby violating the Law on Elections to Public Offices.
In a statement released on August 28, Horii admitted that he had undeclared large sums of political funds and made condolence payments illegally.
Horii left the LDP on July 18 after prosecutors raided his offices in Tokyo and Hokkaido over the payments.
Prosecutors suspect that Horii donated several hundred thousand yen in condolence money around 2022 without attending the funerals of his supporters or their families.
They also plan to seek summary indictment against Horii in this case.
According to the sources, Horii told investigators that part of the condolence money came from unreported income from party tickets he received from the Abe faction.
Horii won a bronze medal in speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
After serving as a member of parliament in Hokkaido, Horii won his first seat in the lower house in 2012.
He was in his fourth term when he submitted his resignation to the House of Commons on August 28. It was accepted the same day.
In April, Horii was suspended from his LDP posts for one year as a disciplinary measure by the party for failing to declare 21.96 million yen in party ticket income.
In June, he announced that he would not run in the next general election due to his involvement in the donations scandal.
