Prosecutors keep probe records of Roh undisclosed

Prosecutors yesterday announced the results of their six-month investigation into a bribery scandal involving Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha.

The Busan-based shoemaker transfixed the entire country after Park, initially indicted for tax evasion, embezzlement and bribery, confessed to bribing not only people who served in key posts during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, but also those who had served or are currently serving President Lee Myung-bak.

Park allegedly bribed presidential aides, central government officials, ruling and opposition party lawmakers, National Assembly speakers, senior prosecutors and even judges.

Eleven people involved in the scandal were indicted without being detained yesterday. Their ranks include former National Assembly speakers Kim Won-ki and Park Kwan-yong, Democratic Party representatives Lee Kwang-jae and Suh Gab-won, Grand National Party lawmaker Park Jin, current vice mayor for political affairs of Seoul Metropolitan Government Lee Sang-chul, Sejoong Namo Chairman Chun Shin-il and former head of the National Police Agency Lee Taek-soon.

Prosecutors had earlier indicted 10 others, including Chung Sang-moon, former Blue House administrative affairs secretary who served former President Roh; former head of the Korea Maritime Institute Lee Jung-ook and former Gimhae Mayor Song Eun-bok.

According to Lee In-gyu, chief of the central investigation department of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, the probe was largely divided into three areas. Investigators tried to find out which current and former government officials took bribes, how Park lobbied to stop a tax probe into his firm and whether former President Roh Moo-hyun and his family took $6.4 million from Park.

Though prosecutors announced the results of their investigation into former and current government officials, they didn’t unveil the results of their probe into Roh. The former president and his family were suspected of taking millions of dollars from Park between September 2006 and February 2008.

“The prosecution didn’t indict former President Roh because he died before the investigation was completed,” Lee said. “We deeply lament President Roh’s death while the investigation was under way.” Lee paused for a moment, then said that the “prosecution did its best during the investigation while following the law.”

Roh’s death has made it impossible to make indictments on charges related to him, prosecutors said. Hong Man-pyo, a senior investigator who handled the case, said although the result of the investigation into Roh was not disclosed to the public, investigative records concerning Roh will be preserved as “historical truth.”

Democratic Party lawmakers denounced the investigation result.

“[The prosecution] spent a long time and used a large amount of manpower to investigate this case and tortured many people,” DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said. “But they didn’t touch on Chun Shin-il, who is at the center of the scandal. Chun gave funds to President Lee’s presidential campaign. Prosecutors also hounded former President Roh to death and conducted a political retaliation probe into opposition lawmakers. We will deal with this matter sternly.”

Park Joo-sun, a member of the DP’s highest decision-making body, had further criticism. “The National Tax Service conducted a probe of Taekwang Industrial, which ranked 620th in corporate size, even through the Seoul Regional Tax Office does not have jurisdiction over [the matter],” he said. “We are calling for an independent special council to reinvestigate this issue to clear up the public’s distrust over this probe and to establish the truth.”

Another opposition party also expressed displeasure with prosecutors. “Given the fact that prosecutors’ 80-day-long investigation into former President Roh led him to suicide and drove its own chief prosecutor to resign disgracefully, the prosecution should have given investigation results that make more sense to the public,” said Liberty Forward Party spokeswoman Park Sun-young.

Former President Roh’s attorneys said they cannot accept the prosecution’s allegations on Roh. “The prosecution has never offered even a word of apology over [Roh’s death],” read a statement by the attorneys released yesterday. “We cannot help but feel anger over the prosecution’s behavior as they have again insulted the deceased former president. The public wants to know the truth about why they conducted a politically motivated investigation, why they harbored certain preconceived notions and conclusions and by whose order.” Addressing critics who said they continually leaked details of the investigation to the press, prosecutors said the case was so important that they wanted to ensure that the public was informed and prevent misinformation.

By Kim Seung-hyun, Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]