Prosecutors resume investigations into bribery

Resuming their investigation into the bribery scandal centered around businessman Park Yeon-cha, the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office yesterday filed for a pretrial detention warrant for Chun Shin-il on charges of bribery, tax evasion and stock manipulation.

Chun, chairman of Sejoong Namo Tour, is suspected of taking money from Park in exchange for lobbying tax officials to halt a probe into Park’s businesses.

Chun is also accused of evading 8.5 billion won ($6.8 million) in inheritance taxes in transferring ownership interests in his companies to his children, and manipulating stock prices through complicated mergers and acquisitions from 2003 to 2006.

Under the current criminal litigation law, a court can issue a pretrial detention warrant against a suspect with an unspecified address or who is at risk of flight or destroying evidence. The Seoul Central District Court will review the prosecution’s submission tomorrow.

The filing signaled the resumption of the prosecution’s investigation into the scandal that also implicated the family and aides of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, who died on May 23.

Chun appeared before prosecutors for questioning on three occasions from May 19 to 22, but the investigation was halted on May 23. Based on phone records, prosecutors said Chun had contacted Han Sang-yool, then head of the National Tax Service, and lobbied him to stop a tax investigation on Park’s company between last July and November.

Cho Eun-seok, spokesman for the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, told reporters yesterday there will be no daily briefings by the prosecutors about its investigation of suspects.

Following Roh’s suicide, critics said prosecutors leaked every minute detail of their investigation on the former president and his family and the mounting pressure had led to Roh’s death.

Cho did say the rest of the investigation will be wrapped up early June, possibly around the 10th. There are four to five more individuals to summon for questioning, but Cho said he wasn’t sure if that number included only politicians or also other civil servants.

The investigation into Park’s network of bribery has included former and active politicians. Last week, Choi Chul-kook, the Democratic Party representative of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, submitted to questioning over allegations that he received a bribe from Park during last April’s legislative campaign.

Lee Jung-ook, former head of the Korea Maritime Institute, and Song Eun-bok, former Gimhae mayor, have already been indicted for receiving illegal political funds from Park.

Cho said the ongoing investigation must first be completed before the fate of Prosecutor-General Lim Chae-jin can be determined.

Lim submitted his resignation on the day Roh died but the Justice Ministry returned it two days later because finishing the investigation was important.

At a press conference, Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the Democratic Party, said Lim and also Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han should step down for driving Roh to suicide.

Roh was earlier a member of the Democratic Party. Chung also called for Lee In-gyu, chief of Central Investigation Department at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, to step down for the same reason.

But Cho, the prosecution spokesman, said he “didn’t believe [Lee] was thinking about resignation.”

By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]