寺田総務相に公選法違反疑惑浮上　収支報告書に「虚偽記載」

　寺田稔総務相が昨年の衆院選選挙運動費用を自身が支出したと報告しながら、実際には後援会が一部を負担していた疑惑が浮上した。文春オンラインが１６日報じた。事実なら公職選挙法違反（虚偽記載）の可能性がある。寺田氏は同日の国会答弁で、選挙運動費用の処理に問題はないとして法律違反を否定した。
　報道によると、寺田氏は昨年の衆院選の選挙運動費用収支報告書で、自己資金などの寄付を収入欄に記載。支出欄でも自身が弁当代など選挙費用を出したとしていた。ところが、領収書や振り込み明細を確認すると、一部は「寺田稔竹原後援会」が関係先に費用を振り込んでいたことが分かったという。
　寺田氏は１６日の参院政治倫理確立・選挙制度特別委員会で、自己資金の一部が後援会に入金されていたと説明。「取り次ぎ行為として後援会が支払った」と述べた。その上で「公選法上規定のない話で、こうした行為は禁止はされていない。適正な行為だ」と主張した。（2022/11/16-17:11）

Japanese internal affairs minister Minoru Terada is suspected of having violated the public offices election law in last year's election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, a weekly magazine reported Wednesday.
   Terada is believed to have reported that he paid for his own campaign expenses despite a group of his supporters having actually paid them, according to the online edition of the Shukan Bunshun magazine.
   He denied violating the law when appearing before parliament Wednesday, saying that there were no issues with how he handled campaign expenses.
   The magazine report said that Terada listed donations of his own funds in the income column of his campaign expense report for the Lower House election, while saying in the expense column that he paid for lunch and other expenses.
   Check of receipts and bank transfer details, however, showed that some payments were made by the minister's supporters' group, according to the magazine report.