The Tokyo District Court handed a former chairman of Duskin Co. a suspended prison sentence Thursday for "masterminding" the misappropriation of the company's money.
Koji Chiba, 64, provided about 185 million yen to an Osaka-based design firm between July 1999 and April 2001, ostensibly as design fees for give-away gifts at the Duskin-owned Mister Donut chain. Duskin is an Osaka-based cleaning equipment rental firm.
This caused Duskin financial damage. Chiba was found guilty of aggravated breach of trust under the Commercial Code and handed a three year prison sentence, suspended for five years.
Kunio Ito, 59, former president of the design firm, was indicted on the same charge. He has received a suspended term.