安倍前首相秘書を聴取　東京地検、任意で―「桜」夕食会、補填疑惑

　安倍晋三前首相の後援会が「桜を見る会」前夜に東京都内のホテルで開催した夕食会に関し、東京地検特捜部が前首相の公設第１秘書らから任意で事情聴取していたことが２３日、関係者への取材で分かった。
　夕食会をめぐっては、後援会がホテル側に支払った総額が参加者からの徴収額を上回っていたとして、市民団体などが政治資金規正法違反などの容疑で告発状を地検に提出。特捜部は、後援会の代表である公設第１秘書から事情を聴き、差額を前首相側が補填（ほてん）した可能性があるか調べているもようだ。
　安倍晋三事務所は「説明を求められたので捜査に協力し、真摯（しんし）に対応させていただいている。詳細についてはコメントを控える」としている。
　夕食会は、山口県下関市に事務所を置く政治団体「安倍晋三後援会」の主催で２０１３年から１９年まで、桜を見る会の前日に東京都内のホテルで開催された。地元支援者らが１人５０００円の会費で参加し、国会で野党は、会費が割安で、前首相側が差額分を補填した疑いがあると追及していた。
　前首相は「５０００円の会費はホテルが設定し、自身の事務所はホテルと参加者の契約を仲介しただけだ」と主張。明細書は受け取っておらず、収支は発生していないため政治資金規正法違反には当たらないなどと答弁していた。（2020/11/23-17:08）

Japanese public prosecutors have questioned a government-paid secretary to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a voluntary basis over dinner parties held by a group of supporters of Abe at a Tokyo hotel on the eve of annual cherry blossom-viewing parties hosted by Abe, it was learned Monday.
   The special investigation unit of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office took the move after a civic group and others filed criminal complaints with the office with their claims that the amount of money the supporter group paid to the hotel for the dinner parties exceeded that of fees it collected from participants in the events. The petitioners argued that this violated the political funds control law.
   The special squad questioned the Abe secretary, who heads the supporter group, to investigate whether the Abe side covered the gaps between the amounts paid to the hotel and collected from dinner party guests, sources with access to the probe said.
   The supporter group is based in the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. The dinner parties were held every spring between 2013, after Abe launched his second tenure as prime minister in late 2012, and 2019. Shimonoseki is part of Abe's constituency for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament. Abe left the post of prime minister in September this year due to ill health.
   The fee was set at 5,000 yen per person for the dinner parties, which were attended by supporters of Abe and others. In Diet debates, opposition parties have claimed that the fee was too low and that the Abe side may have shoulder the gaps.