THE ASAHI SHIMBUN


2008/11/29

OSAKA--The district court here Friday acquitted TV personality Kenji Haga, 47, of fraud and attempted extortion over a deal involving unlisted stock of a medical consulting firm that went bankrupt.

Haga was arrested and indicted for defrauding an acquaintance of 370 million yen in June and July 2001. The money was payment for 300 shares that Haga said he could obtain at a lower rate--because of his standing as a celebrity--and which would rise in value in the future.

The ruling said the acquaintance's testimony could not be trusted.

Haga and former professional boxer Jiro Watanabe, 53, were also acquitted of attempting in June 2006 to intimidate the acquaintance into waiving most of the amount owed after the medical consultancy went bankrupt and the acquaintance asked for his money back.(IHT/Asahi: November 29,2008)

link: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/...0811290092.html