IAG has learned that Oshidori International Holdings Limited, one of the two bidders not selected by Nagasaki Prefecture to construct an integrated resort in the prefecture, lodged a formal “Written Disclosure Request for Official Documents” on 13 August, and a second such request on 1 September.
Both requests, prepared and submitted by Oshidori’s lawyers in Japan, were made pursuant to the Nagasaki Prefectural Information Disclosure Ordinance and were addressed to the Governor of Nagasaki, Hodo Nakamura.
Both requests ask for “materials” in the form of “documents, pictures and electromagnetic records” that were “used as the basis for [Nagasaki’s decisions]”. The 13 August request seeks public disclosure of “reports [of] the transparency investigation issued by the research firm retained by Nagasaki prefecture” and “contents of advice … given by … advisers of Nagasaki prefecture”.
The request specifically asks Nagasaki to make public disclosure of the contents of the “transparency investigation[s]” (a term used in Japan to refer to probity investigations) of Casinos Austria, NIKI and Oshidori themselves. So far, Nagasaki has resisted all attempts to get it to disclose the results of its probity investigations, even if just to the bidders themselves, or even to merely reveal the name of the company which conducted the investigations.
The 1 September request seeks public disclosure of “records (including dates and times, participants and details of discussions)” of “all meetings” and “all dinners” which were held between the dates of 1 January 2016 and 31 August 2021 between Nagasaki prefecture and Casinos Austria and/or their agents and advisors.
When contacted by IAG in relation to the latest developments, an Oshidori spokesman said, “We made the public disclosure requests in order to determine the source of the fabricated background investigation of Oshidori and to determine the accuracy and completeness of the CAI and NIKI background investigations. If we don’t receive the requested information in complete form we are prepared to file a lawsuit in order to obtain it.”
This is just the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the Nagasaki IR process, in which the two bidders not chosen by Nagasaki prefecture have alleged the RFP process was not conducted fairly and that both were asked to withdraw before their respective final presentations to the judging panel. Oshidori has called the process “corrupt”, and NIKI described it as “very troubling”.
The Chairman and CEO of NIKI, Dr Ku Shin, ended a tense 27 July meeting with Nagasaki prefectural representatives stating “… let’s have legal action …” according to minutes of the meeting seen by IAG and verified to be accurate by NIKI themselves.
The complaints from both Oshidori and NIKI follow the selection of Casinos Austria International Japan (CAIJ) as Nagasaki’s preferred IR operator on 10 August, with a score of 697.0 points to Oshidori’s 682.8 points and NIKI’s 667.1 points. Nagasaki signed a “basic agreement” with CAIJ on 30 August.
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