Former Japanese lawmaker deported back to Japan

A former Japanese legislator who is wanted in Japan for tax evasion, was deported back to Osaka yesterday afternoon after spending 12 days in the Bureau of Immigration detention cell at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan.

Marie Vistan, BI supervisor at the Centennial Terminal 2, identified the suspect as Masumi Ogawa, 62, of 1-40-8, Syodai, Minamimachi, Hirakata, Osaka, who is accused of evading a ¥250 million (P125 million), tax for the sale of a building in Japan.

Ogawa arrived in the country on Nov. 9, using a bogus passport in the name of Hideki Tatsumi. Ogawa, was arrested by Immigration agents, who stayed at the Mandarin Hotel, allegedly on vacation, according to his lawyer, Jose Sim Zuniega.

During his 15 days at the hotel, Japanese police informed the BI that they have been looking for Ogawa, who managed to elude them because the latter was using a fake passport.

On Nov. 24, Ogawa was about to leave his hotel bound for Japan, allegedly to clear his name, when Immigration authorities came and arrested him. He was immediately taken and detained in Bicutan, while awaiting deportation proceedings.

Zuniega said that Ogawa is a lawyer and was formerly a member of a provincial assembly. Upon his retirement, he brokered the sale of buildings and on one occasion, was able to sell one for a reported price of P125 million, the tax of which he failed to pay.

As of his departure for Japan, Zuniega said that Ogawa is not yet a convicted criminal, and would still undergo trial to find out if he had violated Japanese tax laws.

Japanese Consul Horii accompanied Ogawa to the airport and later turned over to BI intelligence officer Rudy David up to the plane where he boarded a Philippine Airlines flight PR 408 at 2:25 p.m. yesterday.