SAITAMA (TR) – An employee of the Saitama City Sports Association has gone on the run after absconding with a bank passbook, leaving more than 6 million yen in organizational funds unaccounted for, the foundation announced on Monday, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 15).
The money was discovered to be missing during a financial audit on May 15. According to the association, a staff member walked out of the workplace with the organization’s bank passbook and subsequently cut off all contact. A subsequent check of the bank accounts revealed that over 6 million yen had vanished.
Five days after the employee’s disappearance, the association filed a consultation regarding the missing funds with the Urawa West Police Station.
Citing ongoing discussions with investigators, the association has declined to release further details about the suspect or the nature of the missing cash. A board of directors meeting is scheduled for the 24th of this month to discuss the foundation’s response to the scandal.
“We take this situation, which has severely damaged public trust, very seriously,” Chairman Kiyoharu Kita said in a statement. “We will make every effort to restore that trust as quickly as possible.”
