Accountant Of LDP Faction Played Role In Funds Scandal

The accounting manager of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) largest faction is suspected of playing a key role in a political fund scandal that has unsettled Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to sources close to the matter as reported by Kyodo News.

Prosecutors are also anticipated to question lawmakers who received the money and cross-verify the details with former secretaries-generals of the powerful faction. I Photo: Kyodo News

The manager is believed to have checked with faction members to confirm they had received allegedly unreported funds from the faction, constituting revenue from fundraising parties, the sources said.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation team is contemplating pressing charges against the accounting manager for not submitting income and expenditure reports for the political funds, as required by law, according to reports by Mainichi Shimbun.

Prosecutors are also anticipated to question lawmakers who received the money and cross-verify the details with former secretaries-generals of the powerful faction, which was previously led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

LDP factions have traditionally set quotas for lawmakers on the sale of party tickets, and in some groups, the additional funds are returned to them as a form of commission if they exceed their targets.

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