FUKUSHIMA (TR) – At the trial of a 53-year-old woman accused of concealing the corpse of her mother to collect her pension, the prosecution has alleged that the defendant committed the crime to cover entertainment expenses, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 9).
Upon the the death of her mother, 85, around September, 2016, Michiyo Anzai, a part-time worker, allegedly kept her corpse in storage case at their residence in Iwaki City.
In not reporting her death to the local government office, Anzai fraudulently received 3.62 million yen in pension payments earmarked for her.
At the Iwaki branch of the Fukushima District Court on Tuesday, the prosecution announced that it is seeking a three-year prison term for Anzai. “With your mother’s pension being used for golf expenses with customers, it is a vicious crime in which the damage is large,” the prosecution said.
Police first arrested the defendant on suspicion of abandoning a corpse last December. The following month, she was accused of fraud.
Upon her first arrest, Anzai told police that she doubted that she had the means to cover a funeral for her mother.
The ruling in the case is expected to be handed down on April 18.
