Prosecutors indicted a secretary of main opposition Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa on March 24 for taking illlegal donations, souces said.

Takanori Okubo, 47, has denied allegations that he received ¥21 million in donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co. in violation of the Political Funds Control Law while acting as chief accountant of Ozawa's political fund-management body.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office has determined that it can prove through other people's statements that Okubo was aware his acts were illegal.

Okubo was arrested March 3 for allegedly receiving the donations from the general contractor from 2003 to 2006 and falsely reporting them as donations from what are believed to be Nishimatsu's dummy entities. It is illegal for a company to make campaign contributions to an individual politician.

The donations were received by Ozawa's fund-management body Rikuzankai, for which Okubo was chief accountant.

Also indicted was former Nishimatsu President Mikio Kunisawa, 70. Another man arrested in the case, Akifumi Okazaki, 67, a former senior employee of Nishimatsu, was released without charge.

Sources close to Nishimatsu have said the company donated the money as it wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with Ozawa. He wields huge influence over public- works contracts in the Tohoku region, his home district.

Ozawa, meanwhile, announced March 24 that he will not resign as head of the DPJ despite his secretary's indictment.