'Saint Seiya' anime author claims former aide embezzled US$29m
TOKYO: The Japanese author of globally popular manga series “Saint Seiya”, Masami Kurumada, said Wednesday he was suing a former business associate for allegedly embezzling US$29 million.
Japanese manga author Masami Kurumada, creator of the globally popular series Saint Seiya, has filed a lawsuit against a former business associate, alleging the individual embezzled US$29 million over a period of over a decade. Kurumada, 72, testified at a press conference in Tokyo that he placed complete trust in the former manager, who oversaw the financial transactions of Kurumada's businesses.
"I trusted this man with all of our monetary inflows and outflows," Kurumada stated. "But he had been embezzling (from the firms) for over a decade."
Kurumada reported that the embezzler returned 1.8 billion yen, equivalent to US$11.3 million, of the alleged 4.68 billion yen. The Tokyo District Court has been notified by Kurumada's legal team to pursue a claim against the former employee and his business for the remaining 2.89 billion yen. Kurumada's company, Kurumada Production, faced the threat of bankruptcy and inadequate funds to pay substantial taxes upon discovering the embezzlement.
Saint Seiya, Kurumada's work, has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into various media formats.
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