An 83-year-old lawyer in Tokyo was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of embezzlement in the course of business after embezzling a 2 million yen check entrusted to him by a client, according to an interview with investigators.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the possibility that the money was used for working capital for a company represented by a lawyer.
The person arrested was the suspect, Ado Terauchi (83), a lawyer from Koto Ward, Tokyo.
According to investigators, in January 2019, five years ago, he embezzled a check worth 2 million yen from a client, and is suspected of embezzlement.
It is believed that he cashed the checks and used them to fund the working capital of the company he represents.
The client filed a complaint, and the Metropolitan Police Department was investigating.
An investigation by the Tokyo Bar Association to which the lawyer belongs revealed that he had embezzled checks worth a total of 12 million yen from three clients, and in May of last year he was suspended from practice for a year. He had received disciplinary action.
According to the bar association, the suspect explained in an interview that the entire amount of the embezzled money was used for the company's working capital, saying, ``The company misappropriated it.''
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the details of the incident, as he has admitted to the charges.