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HOME  > Past issues  > 2017 March 22 - 28  > Local treasury bureau will face investigation over bargain sale of national land to private school in Toyonaka
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2017 March 22 - 28 [POLITICS]

Local treasury bureau will face investigation over bargain sale of national land to private school in Toyonaka

March 23, 2017
Concerned assemblypersons and citizens in Osaka’s Toyonaka City on March 22 filed a complaint against the Finance Ministry’s local bureau with the local investigative authority in regard to the sale of national land in Toyonaka to a school corporation.

Officials of the Kinki Finance Bureau could face the charge of breach of trust by a special investigation being conducted by the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office for the sale of national land for the purpose of promoting the interests of the school and inflicting damage on the state.

A group of 230 people who filed the complaint claims that Finance Bureau officials in charge sold the land in question to the school corporation Moritomo Gakuen “at an extraordinary low price” in June last year although they were supposed to properly assess the value of the public property in order to dispose of the asset “at the assessed price”.

After submitting the written complaint to the prosecutors, representatives of the group including legal experts, Japanese Communist Party member of the Toyonaka City Assembly Yamamoto Ittoku, and independent assemblypersons held a press conference in Osaka City.

Lawyer Nakakita Ryutaro said, “With extremely lax procedures, the local bureaucrats sold the land to Moritomo Gakuen. This is a flagrant breach-of-trust act. The prosecutors should conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.”

Independent assemblyperson of Toyonaka City Kimura Makoto, who is also a key member of a local citizens’ ombudsman said, “I’m sure that there must be some kind of political pressure to hush this up. I hope the special investigation squad will elucidate everything in detail.”

Past related articles:
> Man in question to be summoned over his bargain basement purchase of state land [March 17, 2017]
> 4 opposition parties jointly demand summoning of witnesses over Moritomo scandal [March 8, 2017]
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