Senior members of the cult Honohana Sanpogyo received millions of yen in kickbacks around 1996 from several companies engaged in the construction of a cult facility in Tokyo, sources within the group said Thursday.

The sources said cult founder Hogen Fukunaga, 55, and other senior Honohana members received the money after demanding 40 million yen from the firms involved. The construction of the facility in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward was completed last year at a cost of 4 billion yen.

Fukunaga, whose real first name is Teruyoshi, and 11 senior members of Honohana were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of defrauding followers. Fukunaga stepped down as leader of the group in January.

Police are questioning Fukunaga and the companies that won contracts for the construction about the alleged kickbacks, police sources said.

According to the police and Honohana sources, the building, located in an upscale residential district, was used as a gathering hall where Fukunaga gave lectures.

The structure comprises two stories above and two stories below ground level. A major Tokyo-based general contractor undertook part of the underground construction, and another construction firm took over the project following a series of design changes. Neither firm was identified.

The Honohana senior members are suspected of asking the contractors, their subcontractors and go-betweens to offer cash kickbacks, according to the sources.

The unnamed contractor that did part of the underground work said it will not comment on its individual contracts.

Aum pledges 4 billion yen

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Aum Shinrikyo plans to pay some 4.1 billion yen in compensation to victims of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes committed by the cult, the cult's bankruptcy administrator said Thursday.

Saburo Abe said senior members of the cult, which has changed its name to Aleph, informed him of the plan when he visited Aum's Yokohama branch in the city's Naka Ward. The members included Fumihiro Joyu, the sect's former spokesman.

Abe, a lawyer, said the cult will pay out 1 billion yen of the total in the next five years.

The administrator said Aum has also agreed to his proposal that between 20 percent and 25 percent of the 1 billion yen be paid out within the next six months, saying the cult has its sights on paying 200 million yen in that period.

But the members rejected Abe's proposal that the group change its name from Aleph, which is said to have been chosen by Aum founder Shoko Asahara.

"It is not correct that the group's name be decided in such a way. We have a belief in the name as a religious group," a senior Aleph member was quoted as telling Abe.

Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, is on trial for murder and other charges in 17 criminal cases, including the gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, which killed 12 people and left more than 5,000 sick.