日大使館有貪污

Recently NHK News reported the following:

外務省は、南米パラグアイの日本大使館でパスポートなどの発給業務を担当していた現地職員が、手数料の一部あわせて１６０万円余りを着服していたとして、この職員を懲戒解雇の処分にしました。

懲戒解雇の処分を受けたのは、パラグアイの日本大使館に務めていた４４歳のパラグアイ人の職員です。外務省によりますと、この職員は、大使館でパスポートやビザの発給業務を担当していましたが、おととし３月からことし１月の間に、窓口で受け取った手数料の一部あわせて１６０万円余りを着服していたということです。外務省では、パラグアイ大使館でのパスポートの発給件数が大幅に減ったことから、内部調査をしたところ、この職員が手数料を着服し、発給件数を少なく見せていたことが判明したということです。外務省は、この職員を懲戒解雇の処分にし、着服していた手数料を全額返還させるとともに、監督する立場にあったパラグアイの渡部和男大使など４人を厳重注意などとしました。外務省によりますと、海外にある日本大使館で、現地職員がパスポートなどの発給手数料を着服するケースは初めてだということで、すべての大使館に対し、現地職員の管理を徹底するよう指示しました。

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a local staff who had been taking charge of the issuance duties such as passports in a Japanese embassy in South America Paraguay had embezzled part of the commission amounting to 1.6 million yen, this staff was dismissed as the penalty.

The staff who had received the punitive dismissal was a 44-year-old Paraguayan who was serving in the Japanese embassy in Paraguay. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this staff who was taking charge of the issuance of passport and visa in the embassy and to receive commission at the window had embezzled part of it amounting to 1.6 million yen from March last year to January this year. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an internal investigation was conducted because the number of passports issued in the Paraguayan embassy decreased greatly, it turned out that this staff embezzled the commission, and shown the number of issuance was small. This staff was given punitive dismissal, the commission that had been embezzled was recovered in the full amount, the four people such as ambassador Kazuo Watanabe in Paraguay who were responsible from the supervising point of view were given strict attention by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was for the first time to have the case where a local staff embezzled the issuance commission such as passports in a Japanese embassy in foreign countries, all embassies were directed to be persistent in the management of local staff.

Japanese embassy in Paraguay may be a back water for some Japanese diplomats. Office discipline in this office may need more close supervision in order to avoid similar happenings in future.