Wife of alleged Japanese embezzler to testify in Chile: paper

Asian Economic News, Feb 11, 2002

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Feb. 4 Kyodo

The Chilean wife of a man charged with embezzling 1.42 billion yen from the Aomori Prefectural Housing Supply Public Corp. will testify as an unsworn witness in Chile, a Chilean newspaper reported Monday.

The report in El Mercurio said the testimony of Anita Ester Alvarado Munoz, wife of Yuji Chida, was requested by the Japanese police through Interpol, and three Japanese investigators will visit Chile to assist with the taking of the testimony by the Chilean police on Feb. 25.

Chida, who was in charge of accounts at the Japanese corporation, gave some 1 billion yen to Alvarado, mainly during his several visits to Chile, his lawyer Yoshikazu Yokoyama said in a recent press conference in Japan.

Alvarado reportedly spent the money on building a restaurant, a bar and private hospitals, and on her luxurious residence.

The Chilean police said Alvarado will testify of her own free will as there are no legal problems associated with her income within Chile, according to the newspaper.

The alleged embezzlement by Chida was uncovered by tax officials based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, in last October, and Chida was arrested Dec. 17 in Tokyo.

According to his lawyer, Chida continued providing money to Alvarado, who kept asking him for more to pay debts she accumulated after building the restaurant, bar and hospitals.

Alvarado disputed the lawyer's version of what happened and denied putting pressure on her husband for money, saying Chida probably made it up to gain a lenient court sentence, according to El Mercurio.