Not guilty. Haruyuki Takahashi (pictured above), the man behind the Tokyo 2020 Games corruption scandal, declared himself innocent of all charges against him on Thursday, December 14, on the first day of his trial before the district court in the Japanese capital. Now 79 years old, former member of the board of directors of the Tokyo 2020 Games, after heading the advertising and marketing agency Dentsu, he is suspected of having received approximately $1,4 million in bribes. -of wine, between 2017 and 2022, in exchange for its help provided to Japanese companies in obtaining Olympic partnership contracts. “ I maintain my innocence on all counts., declared Haruyuki Takahashi at the opening of the trial. This was a strictly professional act and not bribery. » Defense lawyers will present their arguments early next year, but the date of the end of the trial and the announcement of the sentence remains unknown. To date, around ten defendants have already been found guilty in the corruption case linked to the Tokyo 2020 Games, but no prison sentence has yet been handed down by the Japanese justice system.
