TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese prosecutors have formally charged the former chairman of Olympus Corp. and five others in a high-profile scandal involving a coverup of massive investment losses.
Tokyo prosecutors said in a statement they formally pressed charges Wednesday against Tsuyoshi Kikukawa and five other former top officials at the Tokyo-based medical equipment maker.
The six men were arrested in mid-February.
Olympus has said it hid 117.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in investment losses dating to the 1990s.
The scandal surfaced late last year when then-President Michael Woodford raised questions about payments for financial advice and acquisitions of companies that were not related to Olympus' mainstay operations.