東電ＯＬ殺害 検察を敗北に導いた新証拠

The Yomiuri Shimbun　(Jun. 9, 2012)
Prosecutors defeated by new evidence in Mainali case
東電ＯＬ殺害　検察を敗北に導いた新証拠（6月8日付・読売社説）

"There is suspicion another person might have murdered the woman."
　「第三者が女性を殺害した疑いがある」

As long as a court makes a judgment like this, it is only natural for a case to be retried. It was a complete defeat for prosecutors.
　裁判所がこう認定した以上、裁判をやり直すのは当然と言えよう。検察の完敗である。

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday decided to grant a retrial and stay of execution for Govinda Prasad Mainali, a Nepalese national, at a hearing over his request for a retrial for the murder of a female employee of Tokyo Electric Power Co.
　東京電力女性社員殺害事件の再審請求審で、東京高裁はネパール国籍のゴビンダ・プラサド・マイナリ元被告に対し、再審開始と刑の執行停止を決定した。

The high court's decision said, "Reasonable doubt has emerged" regarding the finalized conviction that sentenced Mainali to life in prison. The judgment is in line with a cardinal rule of criminal trials--give the accused the benefit of the doubt (when in doubt, for the accused).
　決定は、無期懲役とした確定判決について「合理的な疑いが生じている」と断じた。「疑わしきは被告の利益に」という刑事裁判の鉄則に沿った判断である。

In 1997, a female employee of TEPCO was murdered in an apartment in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, and robbed of about 40,000 yen in cash. Mainali has denied committing the crime throughout his trials.
The Tokyo District Court handed down a not-guilty ruling but the Tokyo High Court overturned the decision and ruled Mainali was guilty. The guilty ruling was finalized by the Supreme Court in 2003.
　東京都渋谷区のアパートで１９９７年、東電の女性社員が殺害され、現金約４万円を奪われたのが、この事件だ。マイナリ元被告は一貫して犯行を否認し、１審は無罪、２審で逆転有罪となり、最高裁で２００３年に確定した。

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New DNA analysis key

A point of issue in the high court hearing over the request for a retrial was the results of a fresh DNA analysis. The new analysis showed the DNA type of semen collected from inside the woman's body did not match that of Mainali but did match that in the body hair of another person left at the crime scene.
　再審請求審で争点になったのは、新たに行われた鑑定の結果だ。女性の体内から採取された精液のＤＮＡ型がマイナリ元被告とは異なり、現場に落ちていた別人の体毛のＤＮＡ型と一致する、というものだった。

This evidence suggests there may have been another person at the crime scene. The high court's decision said it was likely Mainali would not have been convicted if the results of this analysis had been presented.
　殺害現場に第三者がいたことをうかがわせる新証拠だ。決定は、「この鑑定結果があれば、公判での有罪認定には至らなかったと考えられる」と指摘した。

It is said that a DNA analysis could have been conducted with the technology available at the time of the crime. It cannot be helped that police and prosecutors have come under fire for not thoroughly investigating the case.
　事件当時の技術でも、ＤＮＡ鑑定は可能だったとされる。警察・検察は、捜査を尽くさなかったと批判されても仕方がない。

Prosecutors have lodged an objection to the high court's decision, so the high court will again hear the case to consider whether to grant a retrial for Mainali.
　検察が、決定に対する異議を申し立てたため、東京高裁が再び再審開始の可否を審理する。

On the other hand, the high court rejected the prosecutors' request to keep Mainali behind bars. Mainali, who was illegally staying in the country, was released Thursday and is expected to be deported to Nepal.
　一方で高裁は、服役の継続を求めた検察の申し立てを退けた。不法残留していたマイナリ元被告は釈放され、本国に強制送還される見通しだ。

The high court's judgment on the latter point was unusual but considerate.
　裁判所としては異例であり、配慮のある判断だと言える。

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Future hearing may lack defendant

The high court may have decided that prolonging Mainali's imprisonment any longer must be avoided, a nod to the fact that there are serious doubts about the guilty ruling. It is highly likely the high court's future hearing of the case will be conducted without Mainali.
　有罪判決が揺らいだことを重視し、これ以上、懲役を長引かせるのは避けねばならないと考えたのだろう。今後の審理は、本人不在で行われる公算が大きい。

Fifteen years have already passed since Mainali's arrest. It is necessary to accelerate the high court hearing.
　マイナリ元被告の逮捕からすでに１５年が過ぎている。審理のスピードアップが必要だ。

Prosecutors should quickly accept a retrial if they are unable to present evidence that could reverse the high court's decision to approve a retrial for Mainali.
　検察は、今回の再審開始決定を覆すような証拠を示すことができなければ、速やかに再審開始に応じるべきであろう。

There is much criticism against the current system, which is complicated and takes time before a retrial begins. Some people say a retrial should be started first and evidence then examined in detail at the court to uncover the truth.
　再審開始に至るまでの、複雑で時間がかかる現行制度への批判は多い。まずは再審を開始し、その法廷で詳しい証拠調べをして真相解明すべきだとの声もある。

It is probably time to review the system.
　制度のあり方を再検討する時期に来ているのではないか。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 8, 2012)
（2012年6月8日01時44分 読売新聞）