Aomori Prefectural Police began grilling a former accounting executive Tuesday on suspicion he embezzled 1.42 billion yen from a prefectural housing supply corporation.
Yuji Chida was found by an Aomori detective in Tokyo's Roppongi district the night before and served an arrest warrant at around 11:30 p.m., police said. He was taken back to Aomori for questioning.
Chida, 44, admitted embezzling the 1.42 billion yen, of which 500 million yen is believed to have been sent to Chile to his wife, whom he met in Aomori in 1997, investigative sources said.
Police suspect the 500 million yen was used to construct a luxury house and a restaurant, among other things, and are considering sending investigators to Chile.
Police officials said Chida had grown a beard and was wearing glasses when the detective asked him about his identity. He also had about 400,000 yen in cash at the time he was arrested, they added.
In late October, the Aomori Prefectural Housing Supply Public Corp. filed a complaint with police against Chida, accusing him of withdrawing 1.42 billion yen from its five accounts over 121 occasions between 1994 and this October.
The housing authority dismissed Chida on Nov. 8 and lodged a 1.42 billion yen damages suit against him with the Aomori District Court, demanding provisional seizure of his property.
The arrest warrant served Monday was for the most recently suspected embezzlements.
Chida allegedly withdrew 12 million yen on Oct. 1 and 11.6 million yen two days later from an account held in the name of the housing authority's president. , Masayoshi Yamaguchi.
The embezzlement was uncovered by tax officials based in Sendai in late October. Soon afterward, Chida stopped going to work and vanished after spending a night in a Tokyo hotel Oct. 29.