Prosecution, counsel cite progress in scandal cases

The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, which is investigating bribery allegations involving two aides of President Roh Moo-hyun, said yesterday that it would summon more politicians suspected of being involved with the allegations. The prosecution appears to be perplexed about how to handle the case of Ahn Hee-jung in particular because the funds involved in the charges against him were used by an institute President Roh Moo-hyun founded as a private citizen.
The prosecutor-general, Song Kwang-soo, said yesterday that his office will summon “three or four” politicians suspected of having received illegal political funds from Kim Ho-joon, a major shareholder in Nara Merchant Bank. The prosecution suspects that they received the money after promising Mr. Kim that they would keep the floundering bank from being closed.
Prosecutors hinted that those to be summoned include senior incumbent Millennium Democratic Party lawmakers and a former senior government official.
The prosecution, with a string of embarrassing scandals in its own recent history, has again been accused of political favoritism because of what critics said was a half-hearted investigation of Mr. Ahn’s dealings. The prosecution has so far focused on the bribery allegations against Mr. Ahn and Yeom Dong-yeon, the two aides of Mr. Roh. The prosecution Wednesday received a detention warrant for Mr. Yeom for bribery charges but a court rejected one for Mr. Ahn. The prosecution said Mr. Ahn violated the political funds law, but critics say they gave only a cursory look at whether he had also been bribed to support the floundering merchant bank. In addition, critics see Mr. Roh’s televised comment Thursday night that “Mr. Ahn is suffering because of me” as an admission that he was involved in the matter.
One prosecutor lamented yesterday, “It is difficult to investigate the president without concrete evidence.”

by Kim Won-bae