１年余り前に「スポンサー内定」　元理事、ＡＯＫＩ前会長らに伝達―五輪汚職

　東京五輪・パラリンピックをめぐる汚職事件で、大会組織委員会と紳士服大手ＡＯＫＩホールディングスがスポンサー契約の締結を発表した１年余り前の２０１７年夏ごろ、組織委元理事の高橋治之容疑者（７８）＝受託収賄容疑で逮捕＝が、同社前会長の青木拡憲容疑者（８３）＝贈賄容疑で逮捕＝らに対し「スポンサーに内定した」と伝えていた疑いのあることが１８日、関係者への取材で分かった。
　高橋容疑者はほぼ同時期に専任代理店の電通や担当の組織委マーケティング局に対してもＡＯＫＩを推したとみられ、数カ月後に同社側とコンサルタント契約を結び、計５１００万円の資金提供を受けていた。東京地検特捜部は、提供された資金がコンサル料に仮装した賄賂だったとみて、詳しい経緯を調べている。（2022/08/18-19:46）

Haruyuki Takahashi, a former executive board member of the Tokyo Games organizing committee, allegedly told Aoki Holdings Inc. that the Japanese apparel maker had been informally chosen as an official sponsor, a year before the official announcement, sources familiar with the situation said Thursday.
   Takahashi, who was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of receiving bribes from the Aoki side in return for giving favors over sponsorship selection, had told former Aoki Chairman Hironori Aoki and others about the informal decision around summer 2017, the sources said.
   This was about a year before the organizing committee and the company announced the signing of an official supporter contract and few months before Takahashi started receiving money from the Aoki side, which public prosecutors believe was bribes disguised as consulting fees.
   According to sources familiar with the investigation, Takahashi told prosecutors before his arrest that he offered a sponsorship contract to the former Aoki chairman around summer 2018 after advertising firm Dentsu Inc., which handled sponsorship applications, failed to find a sponsor.
   Takahashi told prosecutors that the former Aoki chairman agreed to the offer willingly and that he relayed the agreement to the head of the organizing committee's marketing division, according to the sources.