Prosecutors Thursday demanded Junichi Izui, 61, an Osaka-based oil dealer accused of defrauding Mitsui Mining Co. of some 2.4 billion yen and other charges, be sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 120 million yen.
Izui is standing trial before the Tokyo District Court on charges of fraud, tax evasion and bribery. He has pleaded guilty to tax evasion but maintained his innocence to the other charges.
Until his arrest in November 1996, Izui is believed to have wined and dined high-ranking politicians and elite bureaucrats. Last November, he testified before the Diet's Budget Committee on his contributions to numerous leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party.