Prosecutors demanded Monday a two-year prison term for former Social Democratic Party policy chief Kiyomi Tsujimoto, who is accused of defrauding the government of funds earmarked for her secretaries.
The prosecutors told the Tokyo District Court that Tsujimoto, 43, was given 18.7 million yen for salaries for her secretaries between November 1996 and December 1998. Of this amount, she allegedly paid the pair just 2.5 million yen and used the rest to run her office.
The court is scheduled to deliver its ruling Feb. 12. Tsujimoto has pleaded guilty to fraud, along with Masako Goto, who was policy secretary to former SDP chief Takako Doi and is charged with collaborating with Tsujimoto by introducing the secretaries to her.
Goto, 66, whose real name is Watanabe, admitted to the charges against her at their first trial session in November.