A senior official at Nihon University’s weightlifting club has been found to have fraudulently collected entrance and tuition fees from students over a decade, misappropriating the funds for personal use, according to a university investigation.
The misconduct was uncovered during a separate investigation into other university issues. The university is now expediting efforts to ascertain the total amount of funds misappropriated and is considering legal actions against the official, including filing a criminal complaint.
This scandal adds to a series of recent controversies at Nihon University, including a dangerous tackle, a drug scandal involving its American football club, and a breach-of-trust case involving former executives. Despite these issues, the university has been implementing reform measures.
According to university officials, the senior weightlifting club member fraudulently collected full entrance and tuition fees from first-year scholarship students exempted from these payments. The official misled parents and guardians by falsely claiming that the exemptions would only begin in the second year. This malpractice continued for ten years until last year, with the official admitting to using most of the collected funds for personal expenses.
“We deeply apologise to affected students and their guardians,” the university stated, while also noting that the weightlifting club will continue its activities since the student members were not involved in the fraud.
The university is committed to addressing this breach of trust and ensuring such misconduct does not recur.