Japanese Casino Mogul Faces Prison

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — This month has gone from bad to worse for Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada, who now faces a full trial and a possible prison sentence in the Philippines.

The most recent charges against the 80-year-old billionaire relate to the dramatic events of May 31, when about fifty security guards security and police led by Antonio “Tony Boy” Cojuangco, acting on behalf of Okada, arrived at the Okada Manila casino resort and physically removed the management team loyal to Tokyo-based Universal Entertainment.

This, in turn, is related to a long and complex legal battle for control of the pachinko and casino resort empire between the scandal-tainted Okada, on the one hand, and executives acting on behalf of his ex-wife and children, on the other, which has been in motion since early 2017.

The raid on Okada Manila on May 31 put Kazuo Okada back in direct charge of the lucrative resort until early last month, when forces loyal to Universal Entertainment’s current management seized back physical control of the facility with the assistance of police.

This set the stage for the horrible October now being experienced by the casino mogul.

It started at the beginning of the month with news that the Philippines Department of Justice had issued an indictment of Kazuo Okada and three of his top men–Antonio “Tony Boy” Cojuangco, Dindo Espeleta, and Florentino “Binky” Herrera III–on charges of Grave Coercion related to the May 31 raid.

Not only had Okada’s men taken over the resort, but had even manhandled and dragged out by force senior executive Hajime Tokuda.

In spite of understanding that he was in some legal jeopardy, Kazuo Okada returned to the Philippines on October 17 with the intention of asserting his legal claims. Instead, he was arrested shortly after he landed at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. After spending some hours behind bars, the billionaire paid his bail and was released.

His most recent legal maneuver has also failed–his lawyers’ attempt to get the Grave Coercion charges quashed has been rejected by the court.

Overall, the stunning comeback of Kazuo Okada that seemed to be underway in April and May has in fact landed him in deeper jeopardy. After winning a Supreme Court verdict that restored his nominal leadership position of the Philippines branch of company, he then overplayed his hand with the forceful takeover of the Okada Manila resort.

The next step appears to be a full trial in which the Japanese billionaire will fight not only for his empire, but even for his freedom itself.

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