Japan Says 2020 Tokyo Olympics Bid ‘Clean’ After Payment Report
- Prosecutors look at S$2.8 million payments made in 2013
- Transfers went from account in Japanese bank to Singapore firm
Flame at the Olympic cauldron in Japan.
Photographer: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
French financial prosecutors are probing S$2.8 million ($2 million) in payments made to a Singapore account from a Japanese bank just before the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2020 Games to Tokyo, casting suspicions on the winning bid.
The investigation opened Dec. 24 after authorities were alerted to transfers made in July and October 2013 from the unspecified Japanese bank to a company called ‘Black Tidings’ in Singapore, according to a statement Thursday. The payments were labeled ‘Tokyo 2020 Olympic Game Bid.’ Japanese officials deny any wrongdoing in the city’s bid.