「逮捕もありうる」田久保市長への刑事告発受理で捜査の行方は？菊池弁護士が解説　伊東市は選挙モードに

Following the passage of a no-confidence motion, Ito City Mayor Takubo's future is attracting attention. While he made no public comments about his future on September 3rd, preparations are underway for possible elections. Reporter: Has he made a decision about whether to dissolve the city council or resign? Ito City Mayor Maki Takubo: Good morning. Reporter: When will he make an announcement at a press conference? Ito City Mayor Maki Takubo: ... (Silence) On the 3rd, just before 11:00 AM, Mayor Takubo arrived at Ito City Hall. Will he dissolve the city council? Will he resign? Attention is focused on his future, but he made no public comments on the 3rd. Amid this, the Ito City Election Commission is busily preparing for the upcoming city council and mayoral elections. Ballot boxes are placed on the floor. Equipment needed for vote counting, such as rubber bands and calculators, are piled up along the walls. On September 2nd, the city's election commission moved from its usual office space to a larger space on the second floor of City Hall, which is used during elections. They are accelerating their preparations for the election, such as securing polling locations and preparing equipment. Uoki Takeyasu, Ito City Election Commissioner As expected, as the number of elections increases, the workload for staff increases, but they want to make preparations so that elections can be carried out without any omissions. On the morning of the 3rd, city council members were present at the election commission meeting... Masahiro Okawa, Ito City Council Member: This will be taking place with the (anticipated) announcement of elections starting on the 12th (next month), so I wanted to make sure it was okay. City council elections are also planned for October. I have decided to offer part of my home as a headquarters for the planned autumn festival, and I was checking whether this would be legally acceptable during election period. Ito City Council Member Masahiro Okawa: Especially since the Ito City election is being watched nationwide, we believe that even the slightest mistake could be fatal. While the current mayor is not a bad example, our principle is to never do anything wrong. Meanwhile, along with the election, attention is also focused on the outcome of the three criminal charges filed by the police. Since Mayor Takubo was charged in July with violating the Public Offices Election Act, he has been charged with three other counts, including forging a diploma and violating the Local Autonomy Act, which have been accepted. What will happen with each investigation? Will they affect the election? Attention is focused on the outcome of the investigations. Attorney Kikuchi explains the progress of the investigation. Mayor Takubo has already been charged with three criminal counts, all of which have been accepted. First, he is suspected of violating the Public Offices Election Act by falsely reporting to the media that he "graduated from university" during the election. Second, he is suspected of using a private document bearing a seal to forge a diploma. Finally, there is suspicion of violating the Local Autonomy Act by refusing to submit his diploma and giving false testimony before the 100-Article Committee. -Q. What is the police doing now? Attorney Yukio Kikuchi: Accepting a criminal complaint means that an investigation has begun. -Q. What will happen next? Attorney Yukio Kikuchi: Generally, the possibility cannot be ruled out. Violation of the Public Offices Election Act and refusal to appear before the 100-Article Committee are relatively minor offenses, and carry fines. On the other hand, forgery and perjury are serious offenses, and the focus will be on how far this investigation progresses. Because they are serious offenses, they could lead to arrest. However, regarding the use of forged private documents with a seal, I think it will be difficult because the documents in question are in a safe, and if the lawyer exercises his right to refuse seizure, the evidence will be unavailable. As for perjury, charges may be possible due to the infamous "19.2 seconds" time. From these facts, Professor Kikuchi concludes that "the possibility of arrest cannot be ruled out." -Q. Are there any home searches before or during the election? Attorney Yukio Kikuchi: I can't rule out the possibility. However, since the mayor has not yet been taken into custody and the investigation is being conducted at home, I don't think the investigative authorities will move quickly. In that sense, it will likely be after the election is over. Attention is focused on the outcome of Mayor Takubo's investigation. #ShizuokaPrefecture #ItoCity,ShizuokaPrefecture #Police #Arrest #Investigation #Lawyer #CriminalComplaint #Election #Resignation #Mayor #Perjury #Forgery #PublicOfficesElectionAct