Casino mogul Kazuo Okada has filed qualified theft and estafa charges against officials of Tiger Resort Leisure Entertainment Inc., led by Tonyboy Cojuangco for conspiring to remove him from the company that he owns and controls.
In his complaint-affidavit sworn to before Philippine consul to Japan Andrea Leycano, Okada accused Jun Fujimoto, his son Tomohiro Okada, his estranged wife Takako Okada, Kenshi Asano, Steven Wolstenholme, Antonio Cojuangco, Reynaldo David, Yoshinao Negishi, Kenji Sugiyama and Michelle Lazaro of conspiring to illegally remove him from his own company.
Fujimoto is the president of Universal Entertainment Corp., Tomohiro Okada was a trustee of Okada Holdings Inc., while Takako Okada was a director of Universal.
Asano is a de facto director of Universal and Tiger HK while Wolstenholme, Cojuangco, David and Negishi were directors of Tiger PH, Kenji Sugiyama was chief security office of Tiger PH while Michelle Lazaro was Tiger PH’s corporate secretary.
In his complaint filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Parañaque, Okada said the respondents, in their respective capacity as directors, officers, nominees and trusted shareholders of the company, conspired together to willfully, unlawfully and feloniously seize his ownership rights and interest TRLEI without his consent.
Okada added that the respondents converted and misappropriated the TRLEI shares of stocks and the rights, power and duties of directors of TRLEI that he entrusted to some of the respondents to remove him as chairman, director, chief executive officer and registered shareholder of Tiger PH.
According to Okada, his removal from his own company, stemming from the conspiracy between the respondents, caused him great injury and prejudice.
Also, Okada claimed that the elements of estafa by abuse of confidence and qualified theft are present under the current circumstances.
“I am advised that the acts and omissions of respondents constitute the offenses of Qualified Theft and Estafa by Abuse of Confidence under Articles 310 and 315 (b) of the Revised Penal Code,” Okada said in his complaint.
As 99-percent owner of OHL, Okada maintains that he holds 68 percent ownership of Universal Entertainment Corp., the parent company of TRLEI, the operator of Okada Manila.