China lawyers pressed to end milk advice

China lawyers pressed to end milk advice

By Mure Dickie in Beijing

Published: September 28 2008 16:33 | Last updated: September 28 2008 16:33

Officials in a number of ­Chinese provinces are pressuring lawyers to pull out of a volunteer legal advice group set up to help the ­families of thousands of ­children who were poisoned by contaminated milk powder, according to people involved in the group.

The pressure faced by the lawyers seeking to help ­victims of the toxic milk scandal underscores the difficulties faced by the legal profession and civic groups that seek to tackle potentially sensitive issues in China, even when they do so openly and within an entirely legal framework.

People around China have been outraged by the contamination of milk powder and other dairy products with the industrial chemical melamine and by the fact that it was only made public after extensive delays. About 13,000 children are in hospital and four have died.

Lawyers set up a volunteer group to advise milk poisoning victims on issues such as the government’s policy on free medical care for them and how to preserve evidence that would be needed for any eventual compensation claim.

However, more than 20 lawyers suddenly pulled out in recent days under pressure from officials, according to organisers.

“There are so many victims and these children really need our help but the government is not letting us help them,” said one person involved in organising the group.

Li Fangping, a Beijing ­lawyer and leading member of the group, said that in some cases, the heads of legal practices had been called in by provincial judicial authorities and ordered to cease all involvement.

“They are under very great pressure,” Mr Li said.

Some of the lawyers who have withdrawn from the group on Sunday denied that their withdrawal was the result of pressure, while ­others declined to comment.

Justice ministry officials could not be reached for comment.

However, a lawyer in ­central Henan province, where officials appear to be particularly suspicious of the legal volunteers, said he had been directly ordered to pull out of the group.

“We feel there really shouldn’t be any problem doing this kind of work, but right now it seems very ­perilous,” he said.

The poisoning of infants fed on milk powder from some of China’s biggest dairy producers follows the death of thousands of children in allegedly shoddily-built schools that collapsed during the devastating earthquake that hit southwestern Sichuan in May.

In a speech to an inter­national business forum at the weekend, Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, said Beijing would work to improve food industry safety.

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Cameron backs curbs on City bonuses

By Jean Eaglesham, Chief Political Correspondent

Published: September 28 2008 20:06 | Last updated: September 28 2008 20:06

David Cameron backed curbs on City bonuses as part of a crackdown on financial regulation, but pledged to avoid “bashing the financiers” rhetoric, as he sought on Sunday to regain the political initiative in the markets crisis.

The Conservative leader used the opening day of his party’s annual conference to lead a session on the credit crunch, which had been hastily parachuted into the programme to replace a scheduled celebration of recent Tory election victories. Mr Cameron is facing his worst polls for some months, as voters respond positively to Gordon Brown’s handling of the financial turmoil. The opposition party’s initial defence of the City, seized on by Labour, has also left it appearing on the defensive.

Mr Cameron led the counter-attack on Sunday, telling delegates his message to the prime minister was “you have had your boom and your reputation is now bust”. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, used a Churchillian analogy in a bid to take the sting out of Mr Brown’s cutting jibe about not trusting “novices” to run the economy. “At times of crisis throughout history this country has shown a striking readiness to ditch those who have made matters worse and call for new leadership equal to the hour.”

The Conservatives will on Monday aim to get on the front-foot on regulation by setting out a wide-ranging “reconstruction plan” for the economy, designed to curb excessive government and bank borrowing, as well as strengthening the financial regulatory system.

The plan signalled a subtle shift in the Tory approach of supporting the existing status quo of light-touch regulation of the City in favour of tougher curbs. As well as supporting the Financial Services Authority’s review of “reckless bonus structures” – to use the Tories’ new terminology – the plan warned: “We reserve the right to return to the issue of pay and bonuses if the new FSA supervision proves ineffective.”

Mr Cameron said he believed “in some cases” the bonus structure had led people to take to very risky decisions. “I am in favour of free markets, yes, but the market has to be regulated, it needs rules,” the Conservative leader told the BBC.

But he shied away from the wholesale assault on capitalism heard in some quarters of Labour’s conference last week, stating: “What you won’t hear from me this week is sort of easy, cheap lines, kind of just beating up on the market system, bashing the financiers. It’s not going to pay a single mortgage, it’s not going to save a single job.”

Demands from some on the right wing of the party for a more radical tax-cutting approach to kickstarting the economy were flatly rejected by Mr Cameron. Stressing that the top priority of an incoming Conservative government would be to reduce debt and “keep spending under control”, the Tory leader again ruled out upfront unfunded tax cuts. “We had that big battle. We won that big battle [by ruling out such cuts] and in my view we’ve been completely vindicated . . . it’s not going to be reopened,” he asserted.

The Tories dismissed concerns over the sharp narrowing of their opinion poll lead over Labour in the last couple of weeks. A BPIX survey for the Sunday Telegraph showed the lead virtually halved from 23 points in August to 12 points.

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Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands partially nationalise Fortis
AFP
AFP - Monday, September 29 12:26 am

BRUSSELS (AFP) - The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg rode to the rescue of Fortis on Sunday with a 11.2 billion euro bailout to keep the US-born financial crisis from claiming a victim in Europe.

Top officials from the three countries hastily hammered out plans to partially nationalise Fortis over the weekend after the banking and insurance group failed to dispel liquidity concerns in recent days.

"The important thing is that it's a Benelux agreement. The governments are directly intervening to take control of the three banks in the three countries," Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders told a press conference.

"We said that we would not leave any client by the wayside," he said.

Fortis saw nearly a quarter of its value on the stock market wiped out over the last week as it battled to dispel repeated concerns about its liquidity, insisting as recently as Friday that it had ample funding.

Despite such assurances, Fortis shares plummeted more than 20 percent on Friday alone, and that was before the surprise announcement that chief executive Herman Verwilst was stepping down.

Under the hastily arranged rescue, Belgium will make the biggest contribution, taking a 49 percent stake in the Belgian arm of the company, Fortis Bank NV/SA, for 4.7 billion euros.

The Dutch government will take a 49 percent stake in the Dutch arm, Fortis Bank Nederland Holding, for 4.0 billion euros and Luxembourg will buy a 49 percent stake in Fortis Banque Luxembourg for 2.5 billion euros through a convertible loan.

Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said the four billion euros were "not wasted money as in exchange we gain the right to vote in the bank, as well as influence, something which is appreciated by depositors and households in these uncertain times".

"We are giving people security, Fortis will be stronger," Bos told Dutch television.

"Circumstances are extreme, these are no normal times," he added, calling the rescue operation "a strong signal that the three governments are ready to back a bank in trouble".

The rescue also foresees the sale of Fortis' recently acquired interest in Dutch bank ABN Amro and the departure of its chairman Maurice Lippens.

Hours after assuring that the group did not face the prospect of failure, chief executive Herman Verwilst unexpectedly stepped down late Friday and was replaced with immediate effect by the head of its banking division, Filip Dierckx.

While a takeover of Fortis had been the preferred solution, French banking group BNP Paribas pulled out of negotiations because of disagreement over the price and guarantees, several sources close to the talks said.

Fortis management and the Belgian government balked at BNP Paribas' offer of 1.6 euros per share -- which was well below the 5.18 euros the share closed at on Friday.

The drama surrounding Fortis was also a sign that Europe's weakest banks were unlikely to emerge unscathed from the US-born crisis currently roiling the financial sector.

Amid concerns over Fortis, Spanish banking giant Santander said early Monday it would take over the retail deposits and branch network of British bank Bradford and Bingley as top British officials tried to secure its future.

German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland reported that German mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate was on the brink of bankruptcy.

The turmoil in Europe's banking sector comes as leading US lawmakers agreed an unprecedented plan to rescue struggling financial institutions and avert an economic meltdown.

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Benelux governments rescue Fortis
Reuters
By Antonia Van De Velde and Marcin Grajewski Reuters - 12 minutes ago

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Benelux governments nationalised parts of banking and insurance group Fortis in a bid to prevent U.S.-style financial contagion engulfing one of Europe's top 20 banks.

After emergency talks with European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg governments agreed to inject 11.2 billion euros (8.9 billion pounds) into the financial group.

Fortis will sell the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO it bought last year to Dutch rival ING in a deal expected to be finalised within two weeks, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters. It was the purchase of the ABN assets that precipitated Fortis' trouble.

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme announced the bailout at a news conference on Sunday after a weekend of high drama in the first major bank crisis to hit the euro zone in 13 months of global financial turmoil that began in the United States.

Sources close to the talks said the Benelux governments chose a partial state buyout after investor confidence collapsed last week and two private bidders offered paltry terms.

"We could have not intervened, but the question was whether Fortis would have survived on Monday," Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos told reporters.

Each government will take a 49 percent stake in Fortis banks in their respective countries. Belgium will put in 4.7 billion euros, the Netherlands 4 billion and Luxembourg 2.5 billion, the latter in the form of a convertible loan.

Fortis said in a statement it expected total negative value adjustments of about 5 billion euros after tax in the third quarter. It added its core equity would be around 30 billion euros, resulting in a 9.5 billion euro excess core equity.

Fortis's Tier 1 ratio would be above 9 percent under Basel I rules and a capital ratio under Basel II of about 13 percent.

Fortis also said it was facing an impairment from the sale of the parts of Dutch bank ABN AMRO that it acquired for 24 billion euros last year.

The most likely private bidder for Fortis, France's BNP Paribas, pulled out after offering just 1.60 euros per share, compared to Friday's closing price of 5.20, and demanding state guarantees against possible future losses, a source said.

Another source close to the talks said BNP Paribas had offered 2 euros a share and the Dutch ING Group just 1.5. "There was no serious bidder for the intrinsic value of the whole group," the source said.

Trichet, who as ECB head is responsible for safeguarding financial stability in the euro zone, joined Leterme, Bos and the heads of both countries' central banks in the talks.

The presence of the ECB chief -- unprecedented in a commercial bank rescue -- underlined the seriousness of concern for the integrity of the euro zone's financial system.

Shares in Ping An, China's number two insurer, slid nearly 10 percent on Monday on fears it will have to absorb larger than expected losses from its 5 percent stake in Fortis.

TOO BIG TO FAIL

Financial players around the world were hoping U.S. lawmakers would finally sign off on a deal to create a $700 billion government fund to buy bad debt from ailing U.S. banks in a bid to stem a credit crisis threatening the global economy.

Fortis' size, with 85,000 staff worldwide, and its cross-border structure, made it too big to be allowed to fail. Its nationalisation dwarfs Britain's state takeover of fallen mortgage lender Northern Rock last year.

Fortis Chairman Maurice Lippens, accused by shareholders of concealing the bank's troubles for too long, resigned.

Fortis' precursors traded with Catherine the Great and financed the U.S. purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon. Its main constituent bank, Societe Generale, was the chief financier of the industrialisation of Belgium and the Netherlands.

BNP Paribas and ING declined comment on reports that they had bid for all or part of Fortis.

A mooted ING purchase of the Dutch operations of ABN AMRO would raise competition issues because the combined firm would dominate retail banking in the Netherlands.

New Fortis CEO Filip Dierckx inadvertently gave an insight into the rescue plans when a document he took into the meeting with the Belgian and Dutch finance ministers and central bankers and Trichet was photographed by Reuters.

It listed a range of options including "Fortis sells its stake in ABN AMRO for x billion euros to xx" and "governments of Belgium and Luxembourg to invest xx billion euros in Fortis."

ABN TAKEOVER BLAMED

The problems at Fortis, whose shares dropped by a third last week on investor concerns about its liquidity and funding, stem from last year's 70 billion euro purchase of ABN with partners Royal Bank of Scotland and Spain's Santander.

Fortis has been weighed down by its 24 billion euro outlay for ABN in a market that is neither conducive to more capital increases, nor willing to pay for the assets it wants to sell.

Its shares plummeted more than 20 percent to 15-year lows on Friday despite a statement that its position was strong and a pledge to expand asset sales to as much as 10 billion euros.

The group's market capitalisation slumped from 50 billion euros after the ABN purchase to just 12 billion euros on Friday.

The stakes were high in Belgium, where Fortis is the biggest private sector employer and where more than 1.5 million households, roughly half the country, bank with the group.

Fortis named Dierckx as chief executive on Friday evening, hastily replacing caretaker Herman Verwilst.

In London, regulators were in talks on the future of troubled lender Bradford & Bingley, raising the prospect that a second British bank could be nationalised.

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France and Belgium ready to help troubled Dexia
AFP
AFP - 1 hour 54 minutes ago

PARIS (AFP) - France and Belgium will step in to support the bank Dexia, the countries' finance ministers said Monday, as it saw a fifth of its stock market value wiped out in morning trading in Brussels.
(Advertisement)

France's Christine Lagarde noted that the Caisse des Depots state financial institution was a Dexia shareholder and would "assume its responsibilities".

The Caisse des Depots -- which manages tens of billions of euros of French public money invested in large French firms and finance groups, public sector pension funds and social housing -- holds 11 percent of Dexia's shares.

Earlier, Lagarde's Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders had said Brussels was also ready to step in to help Dexia, following the partial nationalisation of the beleaguered Dutch-Belgian banking and insurance giant Fortis.

After sliding nearly 33 percent in early trading in Brussels, Dexia's shares were showing a loss of 23.34 percent in later trade in Paris, amid ongoing chaos on world financial markets following the recent credit crunch.

A spokeswoman for Dexia, which notably acts as banker for French local government, insisted that the group was in no immediate danger of collapse.

"Our liquidity is very good. Our group is very solid at the capital level," she said, adding however that: "The situation is so exceptional (on the markets) that developments have to be constantly monitored."

Lagarde said that private French investors had little to fear from the cloud hanging over Dexia, as it has no French depositors.

Dexia was founded in 1996 as a merger of France's Credit Local and Belgium's Credit Communal. While it specialises in local government finance, it also has 5.5 million individual clients in Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Turkey.

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Iceland takes over Glitnir

By Robert Anderson in Stockholm

Published: September 29 2008 12:52 | Last updated: September 29 2008 12:52

The Icelandic government on Monday said it had taken over Glitnir, the island’s third largest bank, by injecting €600m ($862m) of equity after the lender’s funding position sharply deteriorated.

The bank rescue confirmed market worries about the ability of Iceland’s banks to withstand the current credit squeeze, given their weak base of deposits at home and their dependence on wholesale funding. Icelandic banks have increased their balance sheets aggressively in recent years to expand out of their volatile home market.

Shares in Glitnir were halted head of the announcement but other banks fell sharply, with Kaupthing, the largest by market capitalisation, sinking 4 per cent. The Icelandic kronor also fell to IKr143.27 against the euro by lunchtime.

Glitnir said that the bank had experienced adverse developments in its funding position in the past few days, forcing it to initiate talks with the government.

“Having the government as an owner strengthens the capital base of the bank and removes all doubt about Glitnir’s financial strength,” Larus Welding, chief executive, said in a statement.

The government is due to inject €600m of equity on Monday for a 75 per cent stake. “The purpose of this action is to enhance stability within the financial system,” the government said in a statement , adding that it did not intend to hold the stake for an extended period.

The Icelandic authorities insist that Glitnir´s capital and asset portfolio remain solid and that its loan book is of good quality. Glitnir’s capital adequacy ratio will be 14.5 per cent after the bail-out.

Iceland’s banks have been hurt both by the bursting of the island’s asset price bubble and by the tighter global credit markets, particularly as they had borrowed in the wholesale market to make private-equity style deals on their own account and for their Icelandic clients.

Shares in the banks have fallen sharply this year and the cost of insuring bank debt against default has soared.

The Icelandic kronor has also fallen almost 60 per cent against the dollar this year because of concerns over the island’s faltering economy, large current account deficit and external borrowing. The fall of the kronor has added to the banks’ problems as it has increased the size of their debt burden.

The banks have tried to reduce their reliance on wholesale market funding and volatile revenue streams such as proprietary trading, particularly by increasing their deposits using internet accounts. Glitnir’s deposit to loan ratio, however, remained the lowest among big Icelandic banks at around 35 per cent.

In its second-quarter results Glitnir reported net profit down 20 per cent, while the cost of bad loans soared to IKr4.5bn (€32m) compared with IKr247m in the same period last year.

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国際送金サービス開放へ、専門業者参入に道　金融庁方針

2008年9月29日21時19分

　金融庁は２９日、銀行法で銀行だけに認めている国際送金などの為替取引業務を、銀行以外にも開放する方針を固めた。欧米のように「送金専門業者」が参入できるようにする。諸外国に比べ高い送金手数料が下がれば、利用者の利便性が高まる。金融審議会の作業部会で議論を進め、来年の法改正をめざす方針だ。

　世界では、インターネットなどを活用した安価な送金サービスが次々に登場している。日本では新規参入が難しく、外国人労働者や旅行者が増えるなか割高な銀行のサービスが問題視されていた。政府の規制改革会議も「技術革新に伴い独占の意味が薄れてきた」として、規制緩和を求めている。

　また、送金業務に近いコンビニエンスストアの「収納代行サービス」や、運送業者の「代金引換サービス」についても、新たに許可制や登録制などを導入し、預かり資産の保全・管理に規制をかけることを検討する。０７年度の取扱金額は両サービスで８兆円超に上るが、資金を預かる業者が倒産した場合の顧客保護のルールが不十分だった。

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「相撲界をきれいに」元・若ノ鵬の八百長告発会見全文掲載

　大麻所持の容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元関取・若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン（20）が、29日都内のホテルで記者会見し、相撲界の「八百長」および「大麻汚染」の実態を裁判所で証言することを明らかにした。

（会見の全文はこちらから）

　会見は、現在、日本相撲協会と"八百長報道"問題で係争中の「週刊現代」（講談社）が主導し、元・若ノ鵬がロシア語のコメントを読み上げる形で行われた。元・若ノ鵬は同裁判で、講談社側の証人として法廷に立つことになるという。

　日本相撲協会は、07年2月、八百長疑惑を報じた「週刊現代」に「名誉を傷つけられた」として、発行元の講談社と発行人、編集人、執筆したフリーライターを相手取り、計約4億8000万円の損害賠償と謝罪広告の掲載を求めている。

●以下、若ノ鵬のコメントと質疑応答の全文

（日本語で）よろしくお願いします。みなさんこんにちは。

（以下、ロシア語で）本日はお集まりいただきまして、どうもありがとうございます。そして、私がご迷惑をおかけしたことを、ここで改めて、お詫び申し上げます。

　私は相撲が大好きで、もう一度相撲界に戻れることを信じています。しかし、現在の相撲協会は汚いです。たとえ私が戻れたとしても、今のままではがまんできません。何をされるか分からないからです。

wakanoho02.jpg　私は16歳で日本に来ました。それから相撲の世界に入りました。強くなりたい、大関、横綱になりたいと思い、がんばってきました。しかし、やっと幕内に上がれたと思ったら、無理やりに、アンフェアな取り組みを強いられ、お金を渡されました。

　また、それを断ったりすると、「かわいがり」をするぞ、と言われました。このことは親方たちも知っていたにも関わらず、相手に注意すらしてくれませんでした。

　なぜなら、親方たちも、現役時代にアンフェアな取り組みをしてきたからです。以上の詳細については、現在訴訟中の「週刊現代」側の証人として、法廷で話します。

　また、今回の大麻一連の問題において、私と同じロシア出身ということで露鵬・白露山には大変迷惑をかけてしまいました。協会は北の湖親方を理事長から下ろしました。また、大麻など吸っていないと言っている露鵬・白露山を、解雇という、大変重い処分を下しました。

　それにも関わらず、本当に大麻を吸っている力士や親方には何の処分もしないのは、どういうことなのか、と思います。このことも、今後、私の知っている限りのことを話したいと思います。

　また、今後、そのほかの、相撲協会の中で行われている悪事の真実についても話したいと思います。

　以上の決意に至ったのは、大好きな相撲をきれいな世界に戻したい、その中でもう一度、私の夢をかなえたい、という思いと、外国人力士の名誉回復のためです。

　どうぞ、みなさん、ご理解のほど、お願い申し上げます。

──アンフェアな取り組みという話がありましたが、八百長というような言い方もされますけれど、最初にそういったアンフェアな取り組みを頼まれた相手の力士は誰だったのですか？　それはいつごろでしたか？　また、見返りに、お金はいくらくらいもらったんでしょうか？

（日本語で）そのことは裁判で、はっきり言う。今、ちょっと、言わないですけど、裁判の中で言う。

──アンフェアな取り組みは何番くらいあったんですか？

（日本語で）その詳しい話を裁判でする。今日は、これより、詳しく話さない。裁判で話します。週刊現代のために。

──9月11日に相撲協会を解雇になってから、今日、現代側の証人としてこの会見をするまでに、どういう形で話が成立して、いちばん現代側の証人になろうと思った理由は何ですか？

（ロシア語で）私の思いは相撲界を正したい、相撲界をきれいにしたい、そういう強い思いがありまして、今のような状況になっているわけです。

──いつ現代と接点を持ったんですか？

（元・若ノ鵬は答えず、司会の「週刊現代」編集部が）それについては現段階でお答えできませんので、ごめんなさい。

──アンフェアな取り組みを持ちかけられた、その話には、たとえばやり取りのテープとか、そのお金のやり取りですね、書類とか、そういった物的証拠はあるんですか？

（ロシア語で）私自身が目撃者、証人です。


中盆―私が見続けた国技・大相撲の"深奥"


元小結・板井の八百長告発本。

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元若ノ鵬：代理人、会見知らされず「極めて遺憾」

　大麻取締法違反（所持）容疑で逮捕され、起訴猶予処分となったロシア出身の元幕内力士、若ノ鵬（２０）が２９日、大相撲の八百長報道訴訟で講談社側の証人として出廷する意向を明らかにした。だが会見では「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、お金を渡された」と話しながら、詳細は「裁判で話す」と語るのみで、１０分程で一方的に打ち切った。

　若ノ鵬の代理人の宮田真弁護士は会見を知らされておらず「寝耳に水。極めて遺憾だ」と不快感をあらわにした。日本相撲協会を解雇された若ノ鵬は協会を相手取って力士としての地位確認を求める訴訟を起こしており、宮田弁護士は「早期に協会に戻りたいとの気持ちから行った会見で、訴訟に有利になる行為と誤解したようだ」とコメントした。

　協会では、原告でもある朝青龍と顧問弁護士が打ち合わせを持った。顧問弁護士の一人は「来月３日の朝青龍の本人尋問に向けた話をした」と説明した。武蔵川理事長は若ノ鵬の会見について「何も聞いていないし、何も言えない。（誰から頼まれたかなど）具体的な名前でも出たら対応を考える」と述べた。【飯山太郎】

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元若ノ鵬の弁護士「会見は寝耳に水」

　大麻所持容疑で逮捕され、日本相撲協会を解雇された元幕内若ノ鵬のガグロエフ・ソスラン元力士（２０）が、八百長を強要された経験があるとして法廷で証言する意向を会見で示したことに対し、代理人の宮田真弁護士らは２９日、「これまでの本人の話と異なる事実がある」とのコメントを発表した。

　宮田弁護士らは「会見は寝耳に水で、全く知らなかった。本人は、会見をすれば相撲協会に早く戻れて地位確認を求める訴訟にも有利になると誤解しており、経緯を確認したい」としている。

　ガグロエフ元力士は同日の会見で、八百長疑惑記事をめぐる訴訟で週刊誌側の証人になる意向を表明した。

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横綱審議委、朝青龍の進退触れず　八百長問題も議論せず

2008年9月29日20時51分

　大相撲の横綱審議委員会が２９日、東京・国技館であり、秋場所で２場所連続途中休場した朝青龍について武蔵川理事長（元横綱三重ノ海）が報告した。同日、理事長と会った朝青龍は「ひじの故障が思わしくない。非常に厳しいものがある」と話したという。

　海老沢勝二委員長は「（委員側からは）進退という重すぎる言葉はひと言も出なかった」と話した。内館牧子委員によると「来場所も出て途中休場したらどうするか」との質問が出た際、理事長は「進退をかけて出てくるだろうから、こちらから（引退勧告できる横審に）何かを言うことはない」と答えたという。

　元若ノ鵬が同日、東京都内で「アンフェアな取組を強いられ、無理やり金を渡された」と話した問題は、議論されなかったという。武蔵川理事長は報道陣に「聞いていないから何も言えない。誰のことか分からない。何か出たら対応する」と話した。