4 million yen bribery charge brought against tax official

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday indicted a former inspector at the Kamakura Tax Office on charges of taking 4 million yen in bribes for aiding a tax evasion operation.

Akio Tobinai, 52, was arrested on suspicion of taking 4 million yen in bribes from Takahiro Matsuo, 69, a licensed tax accountant and former tax official, for helping with Matsuo's tax evasion operation. According to the indictment, when Tobinai was an inspector in charge of property taxes at the Hiratsuka Tax Office in Kanagawa Prefecture, he was approached by Matsuo for help with the tax evasion operation. The operation lasted from September 1991 through February 1992.

Tobinai allegedly accepted a total of 4 million yen over the course of three meetings with Matsuo, and in return either destroyed or hid taxation documents on three property owners whom Matsuo was helping with tax evasion, the indictment said. Matsuo cannot be indicted because there is a three year statute of limitation on giving bribes.