堀井衆院議員が辞職へ　公選法違反事件巡り

　自民党を離党した堀井学衆院議員（５２）＝比例代表北海道ブロック＝が議員辞職する意向を固めたことが２７日、複数の関係者の話で分かった。堀井氏を巡っては、選挙区内の有権者に香典などを配った公職選挙法違反の容疑で東京地検特捜部が捜査を進めている。
　関係者によると、堀井氏は２０２２年ごろ、選挙区である北海道９区（苫小牧市など）内の複数の有権者に対し、自身の名前が書かれた香典や枕花を秘書らを通じて渡した疑いが持たれている。
　堀井氏は１９９４年のリレハンメル冬季五輪のスピードスケートで銅メダルを獲得。２０１２年衆院選で初当選し、外務政務官や内閣府副大臣などを務めた。安倍派に所属し、派閥裏金事件に絡んだ政治資金収支報告書への不記載額は１８～２２年の合計で２１９６万円に上った。（2024/08/27-21:48）

Manabu Horii, who quit Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in July amid allegations of an election law violation, has decided to resign as a House of Representatives lawmaker, informed sources said Tuesday.
   The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is considering a summary indictment against Horii on charges of violating the public offices election law by allegedly making funeral offerings to voters in his constituency in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido around 2022.
   Horii, a former speed skater who won a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics, was first elected to the Lower House in 2012. He has since served as parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs and state minister of the Cabinet Office.
   In the LDP, Horii belonged to a faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction was at the center of a high-profile "slush fund" scandal, in which he failed to report a total of 21.96 million yen in political funds between 2018 and 2022.