HOKKAIDO (TR) – A Buddhist temple in Asahikawa City is planning to lodge a complaint with Hokkaido Prefectural Police over the suspected embezzlement of more than 20 million yen by a male accountant, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 27).
Beginning in August of 2016, the accountant, 49, who is in charge of receipts and expenditures, misappropriated about 25 million yen through the creation of at least one fake account. The scam surfaced during an internal audit conducted in June.
The temple is within the Otani sect of Shinshu Buddhism, whose main temple is located in Kyoto City. The accountant was hired in 2015.
“I used the funds on entertainment expenses,” the accountant said to a temple staff member during an internal inspection while adding that he misappropriated between 100,000 and 200,000 yen per month. The accountant has been suspended from work since the allegations surfaced.
