Slush Fund Subpoenas For Politicians Dropped

In an about-face, the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office said Tuesday that it will not subpoena politicians whom it identified as having received money funneled from the National Security Planning Agency during the 1996 general election.

This contradicts the prosecution's statements, since the breakout of the allegation two weeks ago, that it would conduct a thorough investigation.

Also, it forcibly arrested officials of the opposition Grand National Party during the weekend on charges that they knew of day-to-day money transactions during the campaigning.

On Tuesday, however, Deputy Prosecutor General Shin Seung-nam said that the politicians probably received the funds without knowing that they came from the state intelligence agency. Therefore, the prosecution decided not to call them for questioning as criminal actions cannot be clearly established.

He noted further that retrieving the funds that the politicians have allegedly already spent is virtually impossible if criminal charges cannot be leveled against them. However, Mr. Shin strongly expressed his intention to investigate Rep. Kang Sam-jae, secretary-
general of the then-ruling New Korea Party at the time of campaigning and now a vice president of the Grand National Party, and other high-profile politicians.

The prosecution has said that evidence indicates that they were closely involved in obtaining and distributing illegal funds from the intelligence agency.

Lee Won-jong, Blue House secretary for political affairs under the Kim Young-sam administration, will be subpoenaed, officials said. Witnesses have testified that Mr. Lee met with Mr. Kang several times shortly before the general election in 1996.

Even as the prosecution changed its plan to investigate the politicians, however, Mr. Shin said it knows for certain that billions of won came from the National Security Planning Agency, based on evidence and testimony.

Opposition politicians have asserted that the money may have come from Kim Young-sam's political funds.

by Shin Dong-jae