The Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters said that about 60 million yen was defrauded from welfare facilities in Osaka Prefecture by pretending to act as an intermediary for public loans for new coronavirus countermeasures that support medical institutions and welfare facilities. A total of five city council members were arrested on suspicion of fraud.
A total of five people were arrested, including Mika Yoshiba (42), a city councilor in Neyagawa City, and Hidenori Watabe (48), a self-proclaimed unemployed man in Chuo Ward, Osaka City.
According to the police, from July to December, the five people asked a welfare facility in Sakai City, Osaka, to mediate public loans for welfare facilities affected by the new corona, and outsourced the business. It is suspected of fraud, saying that he defrauded about 60 million yen in cash under the pretext of payment.
The loan is an unsecured and unguaranteed loan from the independent administrative agency "Welfare and Medical Service Organization" to welfare facilities affected by the new corona, and originally no intermediary is required, but according to the police, 5 people Although they have nothing to do with the organization and do not have the authority to decide on loans, they said, ``If you pay yourself half of the amount you received, you can receive a special loan, and even if you are unable to repay, you will not be held responsible.'' And so on, it means that he was giving a false explanation.
The five people are believed to have met each other through acquaintances, and Yoshiba was believed to have made the other party believe by presenting the business card of the city council member at the meeting with the welfare facility.
Based on the seized materials, the police are investigating in detail that the total amount of loans related to this group has reached 3 billion yen, of which 1 billion yen may have gone to the group.
Police have not released the identity of the five suspects.