Japanese prosecutors arrested on Wednesday a former Tokyo Olympics organising committee official and executives at three advertising agencies on suspected bid-rigging of test events for the Games, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said.
The arrests come after months of investigations into alleged corruption in the planning and sponsorship of the international sporting event that was held in 2021 after a pandemic-driven postponement.
Yasuo Mori, the former deputy executive director of the Tokyo 2020 Games Operations Bureau, was arrested for suspected breach of antitrust laws, the Asahi newspaper and other Japanese publications reported.
Dentsu said in a statement that a former employee, who currently works at a group firm in Japan, was arrested. “We sincerely apologise to all stakeholders, including our clients, for causing tremendous trouble and worries,” it said, adding the company would fully cooperate with the investigation.
