Indonesia deports Japanese man accused of COVID relief fraud

By ANDI JATMIKO and EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has deported a Japanese man accused of being involved in a fraud scheme that netted $7.3 million intended for small businesses in Japan hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Mitsuhiro Taniguchi was seen at the immigration office in Jakarta on Wednesday morning before he was sent on a flight to Tokyo. Police in Japan arrested Taniguchi’s ex-wife and their two sons over the alleged scheme in May. He entered Indonesia in October 2020, describing himself as an investor. Indonesian authorities are investigating whether other people in Indonesia were involved in the Japanese fraud scheme.