Apr 16 07:37 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, April 16 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Friday that a funding scandal linked to him will be resolved entirely around next week, a remark that fueled speculation he was attempting to influence a board which is reviewing the case.
"This question will finally be settled entirely around next week, so you need not worry after that," Hatoyama told a group of supporters from his Hokkaido constituency at the Diet while apologizing for the scandal.
A court is expected to rule next Thursday on the case of Hatoyama's former state-paid secretary, who has been indicted over the alleged falsification of funding reports for Hatoyama's fund management body.
The Committee for Inquest of Prosecution is reviewing whether a decision by prosecutors not to indict Hatoyama in connection with the case was appropriate. Some observers say the board may reach a decision by the end of this month.
Speaking to reporters later Friday, Hatoyama denied that his remarks were intended to influence the board's decision. He said he was merely referring to the ruling expected to be issued next week.
"While no one would think that I was trying to put pressure on the Committee for Inquest of Prosecution if they saw (how I spoke to the supporters), I want you to understand that I didn't mean that at all," he said.
"I said that because I had been told there would be a judicial decision next week," he said. "I didn't have to tell them about the judicial decision in the first place."
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