Saki Sudo’s Trial: International Lawyer Weighs in on Defense⁣ Arguments

On​ September 12, international lawyer Hiroshi Kiyohara ‌appeared live remotely on TBS’s “Gogosuma ~ GOGO! smile ~” ‌and shared his insights on the ⁣defense arguments presented at the ‍first⁣ hearing of Saki ⁤Sudo’s ⁤trial.‌ Sudo, ⁤the ex-wife of ​Kosuke Nozaki, a wealthy Wakayama‍ man known ​as “Don ⁤Juan of Kishu,” is accused‍ of ‍murdering‌ Nozaki.

Sudo,​ 28, is accused of forcing Nozaki to ingest a lethal dose of stimulants orally ⁤on May 24, 2018. During the trial, the defendant denied the charges, stating, “I did not‌ kill‌ the president, nor did I force him to ingest stimulants. I am innocent.”

Although​ Sudo had some ‍time alone with Nozaki on ⁢the day of the crime, there was almost no physical evidence to prove the crime. The prosecution presented evidence that Sudo had ⁢searched⁣ for words such as “perfect⁢ crime drugs” and “elderly perfect crime,” ​as well as ⁣questions about inheritance.

The defense argued that the trial is pointless if the conclusion is based on ​circumstantial evidence, stating, “There is no point in ⁤having a ‌trial if the conclusion ‌is decided based on ‘it seems suspicious, so he must be doing it.'” They objected​ to the current situation in which the defendant is ⁣being tried with little ‍evidence.

In response​ to these allegations, Kiyohara commented, “The⁤ lawyer’s​ argument is correct.” He explained that⁢ in order to convict someone at trial, the prosecution must prove that ⁣the defendant is ‍completely guilty. If the evidence is only circumstantial, the defendant cannot be found guilty.

Sudo was arrested in ⁣2021, three years after the incident.⁢ The first hearing of the trial began this year, three years after that. Kiyohara analyzed⁢ the reason ​for‍ the delay, stating that the⁤ replacement of Sudo’s lawyer midway through the trial was a contributing factor. He explained that the new lawyer needed time to review the case records ​and prepare for the trial, resulting in an⁢ unusually long delay.