Popular announcer embezzles 40 million yen in “labor union dues” by dipping into “pooled funds

It was revealed that a shocking incident had occurred at CBC Television, a TBS-affiliated broadcaster serving the Chubu region centering on Nagoya. A current employee, a popular announcer, had embezzled labor union dues.

The amount was 40 million yen. The embezzler was Ryo Eda, 33, who has been with the company for 10 years.

After graduating from Waseda University, Eda joined CBC Television in 2001 and appeared on CBC’s signature programs such as “Kewpie 3-minute Cooking” and “Gogosuma,” and was active in live broadcasts of professional baseball games. She is also known for her marriage in 2006 to Marie Okada Ai (Megumi), 32, an announcer at rival station TV Aichi.

What in the world does a popular announcer mean by embezzlement? A person familiar with the situation in the office said, “It was only discovered in September of this year.

The discovery came about around September of this year, when the labor union held an election of officers, and the union president and the head of the finance department were replaced. When the new union asked Eda, who was finance director from ’18 to ’21, to produce his bank book to check union dues, he told them that he had destroyed it. When we became suspicious and checked the electronic records, it became clear that pooled funds intended for the strike had been deposited and withdrawn without authorization, and that ¥5 million of the funds had disappeared.

When the union asked Eda where the 5 million yen had gone, he explained that he had spent it on food and drink for union members. However, the labor union eats and drinks only a few times a year at most, and there is no way that 5 million yen could have been spent on such a large amount of money. When pressed about the discrepancy, Eda finally admitted to embezzling an astonishing amount of money.

He admitted that he had embezzled not only 5 million yen but also a whopping 40 million yen. The union’s investigation revealed that Eda, who was the head of the finance department, had control of the cash cards and bank books, and that he had withdrawn union dues on multiple occasions over a four-year period beginning in 2006. In addition to union dues, cab tickets and personal use of meeting fees were also discovered.

What was Eda doing with the 40 million yen?

Eda told the union’s investigation that he used the money for investment. He was a talented investor, and I heard that he made a profit of more than 10 million yen without dissolving the money he embezzled.

Perhaps fearing detection, Eda refunded 35 million yen of the 40 million yen he had embezzled in September of this year. Eventually, he admitted to embezzling the missing 5 million yen and refunded it as well. However, he has not refunded approximately 10 million yen that he made from investments.

Hirotaro Kato, an attorney at Kato & Asakawa Law Office who specializes in corporate legal affairs, noted, “The act of touching company money is not a business practice.

He is guilty of embezzlement in the course of business, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Even if the money was returned, it is still considered embezzlement. In addition, if the company profited from the improperly obtained money, it is required to return the profit in a civil case.”

The insider mentioned above said.

The union has already notified all of its members that it has confirmed the fact of embezzlement by Eda as of November 24 of this year. We have heard that the company has decided not to file criminal charges, perhaps out of fear that the misconduct of one of its announcers would become public knowledge. It seems that a gag order has been imposed within the company.

CBC employees familiar with Eda’s daily life could not hide their surprise.

Even though he works for a local station, Eda is a top announcer at a TV station. I think she earns at least 10 million yen a year. She is not the type to splurge on brand-name goods or cars, and she must not have any money problems. Embezzlement is indeed a surprise. To begin with, the labor union’s pooled fund is money deducted from employees’ salaries. Since his name is Ryo Eda, he is called “Mr. Ouryou” in the company.

In order to confirm the facts, FRIDAY directly interviewed Eda in early December, when he and his wife returned home together, rolling a large trunk. We asked him many questions about embezzlement, but he repeatedly said, “Please ask the company,” and then walked quickly into the high-rise condominium where he lived.

We later sent a letter of inquiry to CBC Television.

CBC Television has received a report from the labor union and is currently investigating the facts. We will take appropriate action.

The response was, “We will take appropriate action.

Embezzlement in the course of one’s duties is a criminal act. The media, which reports on injustice in the world, cannot simply cover up the stink.

From the December 23, 2022 issue of FRIDAY