Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who led the Tokyo Games organizing committee until he quit after making sexist remarks, has been questioned by prosecutors on a voluntary basis over a widening corruption scandal involving a former executive of the body, sources close to the matter said Friday.

The prosecutors have been seeking to establish a bribery case against Haruyuki Takahashi, who allegedly received money from two companies in return for helping them be selected as sponsors of the Tokyo Games last year.

Mori, a key figure in Tokyo's bid to host the Olympics, is believed to have met with Takahashi, who has served as a go-between for companies seeking to become sponsors, and officials of Kadokawa Corp. before the publisher was chosen as a sponsor of the Games in April 2019, according to the sources.