TOKYO (TR) – Television personality Dewi Sukarno‘s former accountant criticized her during his trial for embezzlement on Thursday, reports Fuji News Network (Feb. 21).
Shuichiro Tsujimura, the 61-year-old former head of accounting for Office Dewi Sukarno, is alleged to have embezzled 22 million yen from the company between December 2013 and August 2016.
The prosecution is seeking a prison term of four years six months.
At the Tokyo District Court, Tsujimura lashed out at Sukarno. “I did not receive any salary,” the defendant claimed. “[The embezzlement] was revenge.”
In speaking, Tsujimura used “madam” to refer to Sukarno. “Madam was always egotistical, a person always with intense selfish thoughts. So, as madam got fussy, the amount of the embezzlement increased.”
During the hearing, Sukarno was seated in the visitor’s gallery. “I can’t believe it,” she said with a laugh in referring to the testimony of the defendant. The presiding judge then reminded her to keep quiet.
The matter emerged during an internal investigation conducted in September of 2016. Upon the arrest of Tsujimura in 2017, police suspected that the defendant misappropriated a total of at least 170 million yen in cash from an account of the agency.
After the hearing, Sukarno spoke outside the courthouse. “Not one thing [he said] is true,” Sukarno was quoted.
Naoko Nemoto
Sukarno was born as Naoko Nemoto. In 1962, she became the third wife of Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, after meeting him at a hostess club in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza area. She later converted to Islam and took an Indonesian name.
Sukarno operates a cosmetics business and regularly appears as a commentator on television variety shows.
The ruling in the embezzlement case is expected to be handed down on March 5.
