DOJ to file estafa raps vs Okada, ex-hotel exec

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will file a criminal case against Japanese gaming tycoon Kazuo Okada for allegedly misappropriating over $3 million in company funds from his former casino-hotel resort, Okada Manila.

In a resolution dated Dec. 7 but released only on Monday, the DOJ said Okada would face trial for three counts of estafa based on the complaint filed by Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. (TRLEI), which owned the casino-hotel in Parañaque.

The DOJ also upheld the separate complaint filed against Takahiro Usui, the former president of TRLEI, for conspiracy to commit estafa.

Decision reversed

The DOJ overturned the decision of the Parañaque Prosecutors’ Office on May 11 that dismissed the criminal complaint against Okada for supposedly being part of an internal corporate feud.

TRLEI earlier asked the DOJ to reverse the decision for “evident bias and gross partiality” in Okada’s favor.

The company accused Okada of illegally disbursing $3.145 million, through Usui, to pay his salary in April and May this year and his consultancy fees.

TRLEI insisted that the disbursement was not authorized by its board of directors and demanded that Okada return the money.

But Okada refused, saying the funds were payments due him. —Dona Z. Pazzibugan