「政策活動費で記載不要」　秘書ら、派閥から説明と供述―安倍派パーティー収入問題

　自民党の最大派閥「清和政策研究会」（安倍派）の政治資金パーティー収入問題で、議員秘書らが東京地検特捜部の任意の事情聴取に、キックバックされた資金について「政治資金収支報告書への記載義務がない政策活動費なので記載の必要はないと派閥から言われた」と供述していることが１５日、関係者への取材で分かった。
　政策活動費は、政党から議員個人に支出される政治資金。特捜部は、同派が政策活動費を名目に裏金ではないように装った可能性もあるとみて調べている。（2023/12/15-16:20）

The Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction told secretaries of member lawmakers that kickbacks it gave to the members were for expenses on political activities that do not need to be recorded in political funds reports, people familiar with the matter said Friday.
   The secretaries told investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office during questioning on a voluntary basis that the faction gave the instruction, according to the people.
   The faction, once led by slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, set sales quotas for fundraising party tickets depending on the number of times member lawmakers were elected and their positions, and distributed excess revenues to the lawmakers as kickbacks, according to people familiar with the matter.
   The Abe faction is suspected of making slush funds by not recording the excess amounts in political funds statements as expenses of the faction or as income by receiving members. The prosecutors believe that the faction may have made the excess amounts appear like funds for political activities, and not slush funds.
   Funds for political activities are given to lawmakers by their political parties. Parties are required to record the names of the lawmakers they gave such funds to and the amounts given in their political funds reports, but lawmakers are not obliged to do this.