Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda confirmed that he had been questioned by French authorities in December on Tuesday but "repeated his denial there was anything improper" about Tokyo’s bid for the '20 Games and "vowed to prove his innocence," according to Lies & Tarrant of REUTERS. A source said that French financial prosecutors "investigating a multi-million dollar payment made by the bid committee to a Singaporean consultancy questioned" Takeda in Paris and he was "placed under formal investigation for suspected corruption on Dec. 10." Takeda said that there were "no reasons to doubt any part of Japan’s dealings with the Singaporean consultancy in connection with Tokyo’s bid and that he would cooperate fully with French authorities." After "apologizing to the Japanese people and everyone involved in organizing" Tokyo 2020 for "worrying them, Takeda repeated denials first made on Friday that there were any improprieties in Japan’s dealings with the Singaporean consultancy." He said, “There were two contracts exchanged between the Tokyo bid committee and the Singaporean company, but they were concluded under the usual sort of procedures and passed around and approved as usual. I was the final person to approve them, many others had done so before me.” He added that the contracts were for "lobbying and information gathering, that the payments were as usual for such work," and noted that a '16 investigation by a third-party committee had "cleared the 2020 bid committee of any wrongdoing" (REUTERS, 1/14).
