The government sold land in Osaka to school operator Moritomo Gakuen for a highly discounted price based on faulty data estimating the cost of removing industrial waste left in the plot, a government watchdog on spending concluded in a much-awaited report released Wednesday.
The conclusion by the Board of Audit is likely to give further ammunition to opposition lawmakers who suspect the Finance Ministry gave a massive 86 percent discount in the ¥134 million land sale because the school operator once had close ties with Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Both the prime minister and his wife have repeatedly denied any involvement in the sale, and the ministry has maintained that the price was determined appropriately.