Less than 1% of profit and all is lost! Former president and wife of retirement agency “Mormuri” tell their regrets in court.

When it comes to resignation agency services, “Mormuri” was ……

The company’s claim is “a resignation agency service that provides 24-hour service and allows immediate resignation with a simple LINE call.” In addition, the service is “supervised by lawyers” and “affiliated with labor unions”.

On May 26, the Tokyo District Court held the first trial of Shinji Tanimoto, 37, the former president of Albatross, and his wife, Shiori, 31, a former executive of Albatross, who are charged with violating the Lawyers Act and other crimes in connection with the company for introducing people who wanted to resign to lawyers in order to gain compensation.

According to the indictment, the defendants were not licensed attorneys, but between June 2011 and February 2013, they introduced approximately 170 people who wished to resign to two attorneys who were affiliated with the company. As compensation, they illegally received 16,500 yen per person, a total of approximately 2.84 million yen, under the false pretense of “support for the labor union.

Shinji appeared in court wearing a navy suit and black-rimmed glasses. His appearance in court was almost unchanged from the smart image he had when he appeared in the media. Shiori, wearing a black suit and shoulder-length hair tied back in a single bun, also appeared calm. When asked by the judge about their current occupations, Shinji replied, “I am unemployed,” and Shiori said, “I resigned.

The prosecutors read out Shinji’s background as follows. After graduating from college, he joined an amusement company. He worked as a manager of a karaoke bar for five years and as a manager for five years, but resigned, saying, “It was physically and mentally demanding, and I couldn’t see myself in 10 years. During that time, he learned about the retirement agency business and wondered if he could do it himself, so he established “Albatross” in February 2010 with Shiori, a former colleague, and three others.

The number of users increased, mainly young people, and the company’s business expanded rapidly. Shinji also worked at the site when the company was first established, but he began to focus more on media relations. Thanks in part to his efforts, the company’s name recognition has increased to the point where it is now known as “Momri” when it comes to retirement services, and sales in 2013 totaled 350 million yen.

Meanwhile, Shiori was the general manager of the retirement support division, which is the foundation of the company.

Shiori heard from a competitor that he could receive a referral fee for introducing a potential retiree to a lawyer, and Shinji heard about this and consulted a lawyer. The lawyer told him that there would be no problem as long as it was in the name of supporting the labor union and not as a referral fee, and he began referring people who wanted to retire.

An indispensable presence.”

Let’s return to the first trial, which I mentioned at the beginning of this article. The following is Shinji’s statement in response to questions from his defense counsel.

───Did you recognize the illegality?

Shinji: “I accepted it because I thought that if my lawyer said it, then it must be okay.”

─ ─ Why did you decide to obtain the referral fee?

In the early days, we weren’t making that much profit. I hoped to receive even a few tens of thousands of yen. I regret that I did such a foolish thing.”

─ ─ What is your current relationship with “Albatross”?

I will respond to any inquiries, but I will not be involved in any way.

He declared a complete break with the company he had represented. Shinji seemed calm and collected throughout, but there were times when he was clearly upset. He was asked about his wife, Shiori, with whom he has a young child.

She is not the type to act maliciously. She just did what I told her to do, and I am sorry for the trouble I caused. I would like to continue our relationship if she wants me to.”

While defending Shiori, he wished to continue the marriage.

Shiori next took the stand. The following is an exchange between Shiori and her counsel.

─ How were you aware of the introduction fee?

Shiori: “I didn’t really understand it. I thought it was gray money, but I didn’t think that deeply about it. (omission) I thought it would be good if I could help the client by widening the frontage to the client as much as possible. And it was an easy thought that it would lead to sales.”

─ How much profit do you make from referral fees?

I think it was less than 1% of the total sales.

When asked about her future with Shinji, who said he wanted to continue their marriage, Shiori replied, “I would like to live with him if I can,

I would like to live with him if I could. He thinks differently from me and is indispensable to me.

She is indispensable to me,” she said, and turned her head down. It would be ironic if her proposal to support her husband led to his bankruptcy, and she lost everything for a profit of only 0.1%. But the fact of the crime remains. Their trial is scheduled to conclude on June 5.

Two days later, the Tokyo District Court is holding the first trial of “Ocean” and its representative lawyer, Jun Kajita, 45, who is accused of illegally introducing clients to the “Momri” side. The defendant admitted to the charges, but the prosecutors said, “He is a lawyer who is responsible for social justice,

The prosecution said, “The defendant played a role in criminal acts against the professional responsibility of lawyers, who are responsible for social justice, and undermined the public’s trust in lawyers. The criminal responsibility for this is grave.

The prosecution sentenced Kajita to one year and six months in prison. The court sentenced Kajita to one year and six months in prison and fined Ocean Corporation 1.5 million yen. The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on June 5.