The defense counsel for petroleum wholesaler Junichi Izui, who is on trial for bribery, fraud and tax evasion, pleaded innocent Thursday to the first two charges at his final hearing.
Prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison term and a fine of 120 million yen for Izui. Izui stands accused of offering bribes to secure sanitation work at New Kansai International Airport and of fraud and tax evasion in connection with his oil-dealing business.
The Tokyo District Court is to issue a ruling on Oct. 13. The defense maintained that while Izui gave cash to and wined and dined Tsuneharu Hattori, former president of the semigovernmental Kansai International Airport Co., he never received any favorable treatment in return. "The money was a gift to Hattori after he was released from the hospital after an illness," the defense said in a statement.
On charges that Izui swindled 2.3 billion yen from a mining firm on the pretext that it was a loan for oil-refining transactions, the defense counsel said the defendant clearly intended to repay the money. Izui has pleaded guilty to the charge of tax evasion.