Suh Chung-won |
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Prosecutors questioned the head of the Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance Wednesday over the party's alleged provision of a lawmaker position in exchange for money.
Suh Chung-won appeared at the prosecution in the morning, telling reporters that a huge conspiracy was behind the investigation. ``The core of the case is a plot to `kill' the party and me and `wither' Park,'' Sun said.
The alliance allegedly provided a proportional representation seat in the National Assembly to the 31-year-old, politically inexperienced Yang Jung-rye, in return for 1.7 billion won from her mother Kim Sun-ae, a small-sized construction firm head.
Both Suh and Kim claimed the money was a loan to the party to pay for expenses generated during the election campaign, but the prosecution concluded it was bribe.
Prosecutors are likely to indict Suh, based on the revised Election Law which gives up to a five-year prison term or a maximum 10 million won fine to those receiving, giving or promising to give money in relation to candidacy. Suh led the party's candidate screening.
Prosecutors earlier sought an arrest warrant for Kim for violating the law, but a local court failed to issue it, saying there was no ceiling to the amount allowed for political donation and she sent the money to the party's official bank accounts, not Suh's private ones.
The prosecution questioned Suh over why the party selected Yang and other proportional representation candidates, and how much and why they paid. It also confirmed that another lawmaker-elect of the party, Kim No-sik, paid 1.4 billion won.
Prosecutors are examining whether the party received more money from the two lawmakers-elect and other candidates.
As Suh paid off a 200 million won fine about a week after Yang's mother offered 1.7 billion won to the party, the prosecution questioned her over whether Suh paid it with money from her.
It is also being investigated whether the party made a ``side contract'' with an ad agency which promoted the party during the campaign, the director of which is Suh's wife.
Upon Suh's summons, Hong Sa-duk of the alliance told reporters, ``We were short of candidates just before the candidate registration period. At that time, Kim wanted her daughter to get the candidacy, and we found Yang was qualified despite her young age. So we offered the candidacy to her.''
Hong said that Suh borrowed the 200 million won for the fine from his friends. ``This allegation was set up by the Grand National Party (GNP), which does not want the Pro-Park Alliance members, who were former GNP lawmakers, to rejoin the party,'' he said.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
|
yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
