TOKYO (TR) – The suspected drug dealer of the former CEO of precision equipment manufacturer Olympus has been re-arrested on suspicion of extorting him, police have revealed.
Earlier this year, Takaaki Kaneko, 44, allegedly extorted 500,000 yen in cash from former CEO Stefan Kaufmann, 56, as hush money, reports Nippon News Network (Nov. 28).
“I’ll tell the company, the media and the police about our relationship,” Kaneko reportedly threatened.
Kaneko has declined to comment on the latest allegations, police said.
During voluntary questioning conducted earlier this year, Kaufmann said that he had purchased illegal drugs from Kaneko. Police later launched an investigation.
Kaneko was first taken into custody earlier this month. On multiple occasions between September 2022 and February of this year, the suspect allegedly provided cocaine and MDMA, or Ecstasy, to Kaufmann while knowing that they were illegal drugs.
Following Kaneko’s arrest, Kaufmann was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of receiving illegal drugs.
Kaneko is believed to have demanded cash multiple times from Kaufmann, who tried to end their relationship, as hush money. He likely extorted more than 9 million yen from him, police said.
Negative result
On June 18, investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Drug and Firearms Control Division conducted a search of the former CEO’s home in Minato Ward.
At the time, Kaufmann still maintained his CEO title. During the aforementioned voluntary session, he denied using illegal drugs. The results of a urine test gave a negative result for illegal substances, police said previously.
The matter did not surface within Olympus until September, when documents detailing the drug transactions arrived at the company’s headquarters.
The company’s later board came to unanimous decision that the former CEO “likely engaged in behaviors that were inconsistent” with its code of conduct. On October 28, the company announced that the former CEO had resigned due to suspicions of purchasing illegal drugs.
