– I couldn’t wait any longer to hear the not guilty verdict, said a smiling Hakamada to his supporters on Sunday.
The former professional boxer was sentenced to death on 11 September 1968 for the murder of his boss and three of his family members.
His 91-year-old sister Hideko has led the fight to be acquitted. Iwao initially denied committing the murders, but later confessed. He has alleged that he was subjected to violence by the policemen who interrogated him.
His case was decided to be reopened in 2014, but the trial did not begin until last year. The case ended with a full acquittal, but the verdict is not yet legally binding. The prosecution can appeal the decision until 10 October.
Hakamada himself, on the other hand, does not seem worried about being found guilty again.
– Finally I have won a complete victory, he said.
Should the verdict be upheld, the former boxer will in any case be entitled to more than 200 million yen, equivalent to approximately NOK 15 million, in compensation. But Hakamada’s defender does not rule out that the amount could be even higher.
– Given that the verdict went so far as to condemn a concerted effort by the prosecution and the police to falsify evidence, I believe it gave us sufficient evidence to sue the state, Hakamada’s defense attorney Hideyo Ogawa told a press conference on Monday.
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2024-10-01 04:41:26
