Former Japanese ad giant executive guilty over Olympics bribery

TOKYO -- Tokyo District Court on Tuesday handed down a verdict against a former executive officer at Japanese major advertising agency Daiko, in connection with the bribery and corruption scandal surrounding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Yoshikazu Taniguchi, former executive officer and consultant at Daiko, was found guilty of bribery for providing some 6 million yen ($ 318,267) to Haruyuki Takahashi, a former organizing committee executive with the Olympic Games.

The court sentenced 59-year-old Taniguchi to two years in prison, suspended for four years, which was in line with the prosecution's request for a two-year prison term.

Highlighting the former executive's "greedy motive" in seeking sponsorship contracts for the games and earning fees associated with those contracts, the court said his actions were deemed to be driven by personal gain rather than genuine interest in supporting the Olympics.

The defense lawyers argued that Takahashi's influence did not constitute official duties as a committee director, thus claiming Taniguchi's innocence. However, the judge ruled that Takahashi's actions fell within the scope of his official duties.

This verdict marked the 12th guilty ruling in the series of cases involving 15 individuals charged in connection with the Olympics corruption scandal.