TOKYO (TR) – Defense lawyers in an ongoing election law trial are demanding the Tokyo High Court summon a disgraced former prosecutor who was fired for engaging in a sexual relationship with a female suspect, reports Nippon News Network (July 31).
Masahito Nishida, formerly assigned to the elite Special Investigation Squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, was handed a disciplinary dismissal on Tuesday. Following his investigation into a violation of the Public Offices Election Law, Nishida immediately began an inappropriate relationship with a woman he had interrogated as a suspect. The relationship involved sexual intercourse and Nishida receiving electronic money from the woman.
On Thursday, defense counsel for a defendant currently standing trial in connection with the same election law case argued that the illicit affair casts severe doubt on the credibility of the entire probe. Claiming an “illegal investigation” took place, the defense filed a formal request to question both Nishida and the woman on the witness stand.
The defense team is also calling on the Ministry of Justice to establish a third-party committee to launch a deeper probe into the scandal.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has attempted to downplay the fallout, maintaining that no evidence has been found to suggest the former prosecutor’s conduct impacted the investigation or the ongoing trial.
