TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former Olympus Corp. CEO Stefan Kaufmann pleaded guilty to the charge of buying illegal drugs at his first court hearing in Tokyo on Monday.

Prosecutors demanded a 10-month prison term, while the defense called for leniency. The Tokyo District Court is set to sentence the 56-year-old defendant on Friday.

According to the indictment, Kaufmann allegedly purchased cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, multiple times in Tokyo between June and November 2023.

"I betrayed the trust of many people. I sincerely apologize," Kaufmann said during the hearing.

Kaufmann was introduced to a drug dealer by his friend and began using illegal drugs to manage work-related fatigue, prosecutors said. The defense argued the dealer threatened to expose Kaufmann if he stopped buying drugs, adding the defendant lost his job after a weekly magazine published an article based on an interview with the dealer.

Kaufmann, originally from Germany, joined the Japanese optical precision equipment maker as an executive officer before being appointed CEO in April 2023. He resigned on Oct. 28 after the allegations surfaced.