河井案里氏秘書ら起訴　連座制適用へ百日裁判請求―公選法違反事件・広島地検

　自民党の河井克行前法相（５７）の妻、案里参院議員（４６）＝広島選挙区＝の陣営をめぐる選挙違反事件で、広島地検は２４日、昨年７月の参院選でウグイス嬢と呼ばれる車上運動員に法定上限を超える報酬を支払ったとして、案里氏の公設第２秘書立道浩容疑者（５４）＝広島市安佐南区＝ら２人を、公選法違反（運動員買収）の罪で起訴した。同時に立道容疑者について、連座制の適用に向けて迅速な判決を求める「百日裁判」を広島地裁に申し立てた。
　公選法では、買収罪で選挙運動の責任者らの有罪が確定した場合、候補者本人が関与していなくても当選無効となる「連座制」が適用されると規定。地検は立道容疑者が、選挙運動の計画や調整を行う「組織的選挙運動管理者等」に当てはまると判断した。有罪が確定した場合、案里氏が失職に追い込まれる可能性がある。（2020/03/24-17:51）

Public prosecutors indicted on Tuesday secretaries to Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Anri Kawai and her husband, Katsuyuki, also a lawmaker of the ruling party, for an alleged election law violation during the wife's campaign last year.
   The prosecutors also asked Hiroshima District Court for a 100-day trial of the secretary to Anri Kawai, 46, in a move to nullify her election from the Hiroshima electoral district in western Japan to the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, if the secretary is convicted.
   The Hiroshima District Public Prosecutors Office is investigating whether the Kawais were involved in the alleged wrongdoing, with the husband, 57, suspected to have been substantially controlling the wife's campaign. Over the scandal, he resigned as justice minister last autumn.
   Under a guilt-by-association system stipulated by the public offices election law, an elected official could be stripped of his or her post if his or her campaign manager is found guilty of corruption.
   The prosecutors apparently believe that Hiroshi Tatemichi, 54, a government-paid secretary to Anri Kawai, played a leading role in her campaign for the Upper House poll in July 2019.