CHIBA (Kyodo) An official of the Shinjuku Tax Office in Tokyo and an insurance saleswoman have been arrested on suspicion of stealing about 30 million yen from a woman who sought advice on property inheritance at the tax office, the Chiba District Public Prosecutor's Office said Saturday.
Arrested were Tadanobu Kondo, 51, of the Shinjuku Tax Office, who lives in the city of Saitama, and Noriko Yoshida, 35, a saleswoman at a life insurance company who lives in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo.
According to investigation sources, a woman from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, went to the tax office April 23, 2004, as a guardian for minors to seek advice about property they were inheriting.
The woman is the minors' aunt. She was named guardian when their mother died in October 2003.
The two suspects allegedly told her they could take care of the inheritance issue and asked her to place money in a safe-deposit box in Chiyoda Ward that was obtained under Yoshida's name.
They allegedly embezzled about 30 million yen out of roughly 50 million yen in insurance money the woman put into the safe-deposit box, the sources said.
Kondo has reportedly admitted to the embezzlement, saying he used 30 million yen to play the stock market. Yoshida is denying the allegation, the sources said.
Kondo got to know the victim in 1994 when she sought advice at the tax office for her own property inheritance. Prosecutors suspect Kondo may have embezzled money other than the 30 million yen and are still conducting their investigation.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau released a statement saying it regrets that one of its officials committed an act damaging public trust in the tax bureau.