A court in Dong Nai southern province Tuesday sentenced 62-year-old Nishimura Setsuo to 20 years in prison for embezzling nearly US$7 million from his company to maintain a mistress 32 years younger than him.
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| Nishimura Setsuo and his Vietnamese mistress Duong Thi Thanh Nhan in a 2010 file photo |
A court in Dong Nai southern province Tuesday sentenced 62-year-old Nishimura Setsuo to 20 years in prison for embezzling nearly US$7 million from his company to maintain a mistress 32 years younger than him.
Prosecutors said Nishimura - who was Sanyo Di Solutions Vietnam’s HR and finance director - withdrew US$530,000 and VND132.5 billion ($6.35 million) from many banks in Ho Chi Minh City’s district 1 and in Bien Hoa town of Dong Nai province where his company is headquartered.
At the trial on Dec. 18, the Japanese man told the court that he spent most of the money on opening bars for his mistress and gambling together with her at casinos in Macau.
However, 30-year-old Duong Thi Thanh Nhan, the mistress, told the court she received a mere VND19.4 billion ($930,000) from him.
Nishumura had earlier admitted he gave her $500,000 from his own pockets to help Nhan open a restaurant.
He added that Nhan wanted more money afterwards, so he decided to steal money from his company.
After successfully withdrawing money from banks, Nishimura lent Nhan VND30.4 billion ($1.46 million) of which she later returned VND11.9 billion ($571,000). After their wrongdoings were found, Nhan and Nishimura fled the country but were arrested later.
Nishimuara told the court: “I gave the money that I withdrew from my company’s banks to her and her relatives. I did not use the money for other purposes. If she needs money today, I will give it to her tomorrow.”
Nhan said that she got to know Nishimura in 2005 when she was a student and doing a part-time job as a receptionist at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.
Going abroad 212 times
To prove that she did not receive all the money that Nishimura misappropriated, Nhan said that she had a wealthy boyfriend in South Korea during the time she was going out with the Japanese man.
Nhan explained she handled some accounting job for her Korean boyfriend’s business and from that, received a monthly salary of $10,000.
The woman also claimed she earned from VND20 million to VND30 million ($1,439 to $960) a month from tips as a receptionist in Vietnam.
During the time she maintained relationship with Nishimura, she went abroad for a total of 212 times.
“Nishimura did know that I had a boyfriend. Even if I get married, I will tell him,” she told the court.
(Souce:TTNews)
