Three tied to campaign probe sue over arrests
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three employees of a top Honolulu engineering firm say the lead police investigator in a wide-ranging probe of illegal campaign contributions wrongly arrested them because they refused to testify before a grand jury last year.
Roy Tsutsui, Kenneth T. Sakai and Nancy Matsuno charge in a lawsuit filed late Friday that Honolulu Police Department Maj. Daniel Hanagami arrested them "to retaliate and harass them for refusing to answer questions before the grand jury" after they invoked their constitutional right to remain silent.
The three are corporate officers of R.M. Towill Corp., one of many government contractors under scrutiny for questionable campaign donations to Mayor Jeremy Harris.
According to the suit, the three declined to answer "questions regarding their personal political campaign contributions" after they were subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury in September 2002. Prosecutors later informed them that no further testimony was needed, the lawsuit says.
But Tsutsui, Sakai and Matsuno were later arrested "without probable cause, for the purpose of harassing and publicly humiliating" them, according to the suit.
They were among more than a dozen people, including a retired Towill controller, arrested between June and July on suspicion of illegal campaign activities. All were released; none was charged in court while the investigation continues.
Plaintiff's attorney Carl M. Varady declined to comment on the lawsuit. Neither Hanagami nor city Corporation Counsel David Arakawa could be reached for comment late yesterday.
Since the probe began 19 months ago, seven people have been fined after pleading no contest to criminal charges of illegally funneling money to Harris' re-election campaign.
More than 600 subpoenas have been issued for banking records and other documents while the probe continues.
The state Campaign Spending Commission, which is conducting a separate investigation, has fined dozens of companies for making illegal contributions to Harris and several other politicians.
Neither Harris nor any officials from his campaign committee have been charged with wrongdoing.
Harris' attorney has said that the mayor never solicited or knowingly accepted illegal donations and that the criminal probe has focused on money that went to Harris while ignoring the questionable campaign finances of other politicians. Prosecutors say they are merely following evidence where it leads them.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
