crime

Father of TV personality Rola convicted of health insurance fraud

23 Comments

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday convicted the father of TV “talent” and model Rola for defrauding Japan’s national health insurance system.

The court sentenced Jurip Al-Asa, 55, to two years and six months, suspended for four years, NTV reported.

Jurip, who is from Bangladesh, was arrested on July 26 last year after turning himself in at a police station in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. He had been put on Interpol's wanted list a year earlier.

The court heard that Jurip conspired with another Bangladeshi to defraud the health insurance system out of 1.67 million yen in payment for an operation he supposedly had overseas.

The accomplice, in December of 2009, submitted a forged medical certificate stating that he had undergone an operation overseas and asking for reimbursement of 70% of the cost of the operation. The accomplice was arrested in August 2012 just after Jurip fled Japan.

Authorities believe that Jurip headed a gang of Bangladeshis who carried out the same scam a number of times, netting more than 10 million yen in insurance payments.

© Japan Today

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23 Comments
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Morning joke .... the usual suspended sentence. Why wasting Police , Prosecutors , Judges and other involved time and tax payers money.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

But not deported?

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Why a suspended sentence?

If found guilty, shouldn't he do the time?

Jurip headed a gang of Bangladeshis doing this. This is lame.

I like Rola, but everytime I see her sticking her tongue out trying to look cute, I'll be reminded of her dad making a fool of the justice system here.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

10 million yen is hardly a substantial amount of money. and he has probably already spent almost a year in prison so is much more prison time needed?

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

"10 million"? I'm not impressed... That said, the guy should be deported.

Not sure why Lola should be dragged in the mud about her father's deeds.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

I imagine the media swarm around this story, and the Japanese public's infatuation with it, has much to do with the paparazzi thrill of uncovering the 'dangerous' foreign element smack dab in our midst.

To me what really makes the story newsworthy is the question of why the Japanese mainstream media would opt to cover each and every development of this so extensively and continually — the crime was committed not by the celebrity herself, but by a close relative, and the crime itself is a relatively petty white collar crime (10 million yen, or about US$85,000, insurance fraud).

This degree of press focus would be somewhat more understandable if the crime had been committed by Rola herself, or a celebrity of similar entertainment world exposure. There must be plenty of other celebrities in Japan who have a close relative who is similarly in trouble with the law. But given that this is a big topic of conversation in Japan, I am thankful to JT for keeping the nation's English-speaking community informed as the story unfolds.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

I believe Rola's parents have been divorced for a long time and she hasn't had anything to do with him for that same amount of time. Her father is a big thorn in her side for her career and the media will be all up on her again for this and she will disappear for awhile.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Not sure why Lola should be dragged [through] the mud about her father's deeds.

@TumbleDry

You said it much better than I did, and in far fewer words.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

10 million yen is hardly a substantial amount of money.

I wish i had it in my pocket as otsuri!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Persona non grata.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Suspended? April first early this year?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I wish i had it in my pocket as otsuri

Otsuri from what?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This scumbag went to court 40 minutes late, then as he entered he acted as if he were a superstar while acting insanely in front of cameramen. What he did could have ruined everything for we foreigners who depend on the national health insurance system. He should have been forced to serve time behind bars ... then kicked out of the country for good. But he has become a Japanese national, his daughter is famous ... and he continues to live here ... as if nothing has happened. Cheez ...

7 ( +8 / -1 )

As far as I know, he is an estranged father, who left his wife (Rola's mom) and kid(Rola) for a younger chic. So, no reason to tie his name with Rola.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

roughneck:

I read she was brought up by her Chinese stepmother (who I assume was her father's second wife), with or without his help.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Who is Rola?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Finding somebody guilty, sentencing him and then suspending that sentence is one of the quirks of the legal system which does not seem justified.

Anyway Rola's agency will make her bow and apologize to the media, even though she had no role to play in this scam.

For once I do feel sorry for her.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I hope he pays it back

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Still waiting for this story to be covered by major media. I first heard about this here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Red top gossip column fodder, fiddling light fingered Father fraudulently falsifying Japan’s national health insurance system. Worst of all the scoundrel is duly handed down a slap on the wrist, barely a judicial tummy tickle. For TV “talent” and model Rola, nature doesn't provide parental choice and fame isn't what it used to be, carrying little or no intrinsic value unless delivered sobbing into a Kleenex.

Celebrity, is not defined or distinguished by achievement and is instantly disposable, today's failures rarely become tomorrow's comebacks. Rola, commodity is a career built on the ability of being well known for simple sake of well-knownness. Influence measured by approval rating, underlined by fickle public vanity, an insatiable need to feed on the beautiful but talentless seedy underbelly.

Jurip Al-Asa, 55 is guilty of the ultimate wrenched act of public betrayal, pooping on his own doorstep. A shameless rotter, bounder, cad.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

i looove lola. she's so hot. and knows how to cook.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@ dokachin at Mar. 06, 2015 - 02:56PM JST "I hope he pays it back"

One of the reasons he got a suspended sentence was that the swindled money has been paid back in full.

@ Sensato at Mar. 06, 2015 - 09:23AM JST "I imagine the media swarm around this story, and the Japanese public's infatuation with it, "

My impression is that the media has actually been rather restrained in their coverage of this case.

@ gokai_wo_maneku at Mar. 06, 2015 - 04:26PM JST "Still waiting for this story to be covered by major media. I first heard about this here."

The major media had already carried and finished with this story before it appeared on Japan Today, as is the case with most of the articles here.

@ roughneck at Mar. 06, 2015 - 10:40AM JST "As far as I know, he is an estranged father, who left his wife (Rola's mom) and kid(Rola) for a younger chic. So, no reason to tie his name with Rola."

It seems to be her Japanese mother who was the one who was out of the picture since Rola was very young. As Pukey mentioned, she was mostly raised by her Chinese stepmother. I've seen a clip from a show a few years ago in which Rola says her Dad is her favorite person in the world. Don't know if she still feels that way about him but yes, in any case she is not responsible for his actions.

@edojin "But he has become a Japanese national,"

Are you sure? I've seen reports that he has permanent residency in Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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