Japanese man arrested in Indonesia over COVID relief fraud

By ANDI JATMIKO and NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities in Indonesia have arrested a Japanese fugitive accused of helping steal $7.3 million intended for small businesses in Japan hurt by the coronavirus. Indonesian police say Mitsuhiro Taniguchi was arrested late Tuesday on Sumatra island. They say Taniguchi and a group of acquaintances allegedly submitted about 1,700 false applications for COVID-19 relief funds in Japan and received subsidies for more than 960 of those applications. Taniguchi, who left Japan for Indonesia in October 2020, has been handed over to Indonesian immigration officials and authorities are coordinating with Japanese diplomats for his deportation.