TOKYO (TR) – A male employee of public broadcaster NHK ensnared in an embezzlement probe died shortly after an internal inquiry began, it was learned on Tuesday, reports TBS News (Jan. 11).
The employee in his 40s, who was assigned to NHK’s Yokohama Broadcasting Station, died in mid-October after it was learned that he drafted fake slips for refunding excess license fee payments and deposited hundreds of thousands of yen in cash into a bank account, NHK said.
The worker misappropriated the personal details of NHK subscribers who pay license fees in advance. He made them appear to have canceled their contracts and pocketed their refunded money, the Sankei Shimbun reported (Jan. 10).
NHK has stopped short of disclosing his cause of death. The broadcaster is still continuing the internal inquiry.
The broadcaster plans to seek payment from his bereaved family after confirming the amount embezzled.
“It is indeed regrettable,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster is quoted. “We will endeavor to prevent a recurrence.”
