In a corruption case at a hospital in Chiba Prefecture over the delivery of ECMO, an artificial heart-lung machine used to treat the new coronavirus, the Chiba District Court said, ``It is malicious to demand bribes.'' As such, he was sentenced to a suspended sentence.
Defendant Hideki Yoshino (63), a former chief engineer of the clinical engineering department of "Higashi Chiba Medical Center" in Togane City, Chiba Prefecture, was in charge of the delivery of ECMO in March last year. He was accused of accepting a bribe, saying that he received 1 million yen in cash from the company's president at the time in exchange for facilitating the sale of equipment through an equipment sales company.
Employees of hospitals operated by local independent administrative agencies are considered "deemed public servants," and in a ruling on the 13th, Chief Judge Sasaki of the Chiba District Court said, "They made the company they serve as their advisors make profits and demanded bribes themselves. It is premeditated and vicious. It deserves condemnation for a crime that disregards the position where fairness is required."
The judgment against the former president of the bribery side is to be handed down on the 30th of this month.
* "Kichi" is "Tsuji" and "Sat"