Papers sent on ex-Olympus president over illegal drug purchase

Tokyo police have turned over a case to public prosecutors on former Olympus President Stefan Kaufmann for allegedly obtaining illegal drugs, investigative sources said Tuesday.
The 56-year-old ex-head of the Japanese medical equipment maker has admitted to the alleged violation of the special law on narcotics, the sources said.
Kaufmann, originally from Germany, is suspected of receiving illegal drugs believed to be cocaine and MDMA from Takaaki Kaneko, a 44-year-old self-proclaimed photographer, multiple times in Tokyo between September 2022 and this February. He is believed to have purchased 0.1-0.2 gram of cocaine and one MDMA tablet per transaction.
Kaneko was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday on suspicion of giving Kaufmann the drugs, and is remaining silent.
Police raided the homes of Kaufmann and Kaneko in June following an anonymous report in April. While no illegal drugs were discovered at Kaufmann’s home, stimulants were found at Kaneko’s home. Kaneko was arrested on the spot on suspicion of drug possession and was later given a suspended sentence by the Tokyo District Court.
Kaneko sent a letter to Olympus in September, before the district court ruling, on his drug transactions with Kaufmann. The MPD reopened its investigation based on a report by the company and had been questioning the ex-chief on a voluntary basis.
Kaufmann joined Olympus’ unit in charge of European operations in 2003 and served as executive director. He became president of Olympus in April 2023, but stepped down on Oct. 28 at the request of the company’s board following the drug transaction accusations.