Takeshi Abe, the former vice president of Teikyo University, lost a 40 million yen damages suit against the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper Friday over articles in which he was accused of improper conduct in connection with the HIV scandal.

The Tokyo District Court verified the newspaper's allegations that Abe, a hemophilia expert, forced drugmakers to donate funds toward his research in return for his influence over the medical testing of heated blood products for hemophiliacs.

It also ruled as legitimate the newspaper's allegations that Abe had intentionally delayed the announcement that one of his patients was infected with HIV.

Judge Koji Okahisa added that there were reasons to believe that other allegations leveled at Abe were also true. He concluded overall that Abe's suit was groundless.

In March, Abe was acquitted by the same district court in a criminal trial over professional negligence resulting in the death of a male patient through the use of HIV-tainted blood coagulants at Teikyo University Hospital in Tokyo in 1985.

According to the March ruling, Abe could not have anticipated the full consequences of using the blood products given the limited knowledge of HIV in circulation at that time.

At least 1,400 hemophiliacs were infected with HIV via the use of unheated blood products mainly imported from the United States during the 1980s. More than 500 of them have since died of AIDS.

One of the points at issue during Abe's criminal trial was the stage at which he realized the risks of HIV infection through these tainted products.

The Mainichi Shimbun issued the above allegations with regard to Abe's conduct in March 1996 editions.

Abe subsequently filed a defamation suit against the newspaper, seeking 40 million yen in compensation.

A lawyer representing Abe said his client plans to appeal Friday's ruling.