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Sun, September 24, 2023 | 03:20
-------------------------
'Sung was penniless when he committed suicide'
측근 줄소환·긴급체포…'성완종 리스트' 수사 속도전
Posted : 2015-04-22 16:19
Updated : 2015-04-22 18:05
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By Kim Rahn

The late former chairman of Keangnam Enterprises, Sung Woan-jong, who set up his business with pocket money and went on to establish a company that exceeded 2 trillion won in sales, was almost penniless when he killed himself, sources said Wednesday.

His former aides say that Sung, a Korean example of a rags-to-riches success story, had almost no personal fortune at the time of his death, instead owing 200 billion won in bank loans.

But many observers of the scandal doubt if he was actually bankrupt because he allegedly embezzled company funds for personal use and for bribing politicians.

Sung, who didn't even finish elementary school due to the poverty of his family, came to Seoul at the age of 12 with almost nothing.

Following dozens of menial jobs, he acquired a construction firm in 1976 and took over Dae-a Engineering & Construction. He acquired Keangnam in 2003 and later led the company to record 2 trillion won in annual sales.

In April 2012 when he first became a lawmaker, he reported personal wealth of 15.2 billion won, the seventh largest among 300 lawmakers at that time. Most of his assets were stocks, including 3.4 million shares in Keangnam and 740,000 shares in Dae-a Leisure, a Keangnam subsidiary.

Keangnam's stock price fell from 6,000 won in 2012 to 3,500 won in 2013 as the company fell into a debt-workout program. His wealth in turn almost halved to 7 billion won in 2013. He also left all his shares to creditor banks as securities.

When he lost his National Assembly seat for violations of the Election Law in 2014, he reported that he was 700 million won in debt.

Sung did not have a house registered in his name. A house in affluent Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, where he lived until he committed suicide, is worth over 2 billion won and is owned by his wife.

The only property he owned was some 17,000 square meters of land in South Chungcheong Province, with a value estimated at 280 million won.

However, speculation is rife that he had various other hidden assets, as the company funds he is thought to have embezzled through accounting fraud were allegedly diverted to Keangnam affiliates owned by members of his family.


측근 줄소환·긴급체포…'성완종 리스트' 수사 속도전

검찰이 '성완종 리스트' 수사에 급격히 속도를 올리고 있다. 지금까지 성완종(64) 전 경남기업 회장과 '리스트 8인'의 과거 행적을 복원하는 데 주력했다면 이제부터는 금품이 오간 상황을 구체적 물증과 진술로 입증하는 단계에 들어선 것으로 보인다.

검찰로서는 박근혜 대통령의 27일 귀국이라는 일정표를 고려하지 않을 수 없다. 박 대통령은 귀국 후 이완구 국무총리의 거취를 결정하겠다고 말했다. 그전에 최소한 이 총리에 대한 직접 조사가 필요한지라도 판단해야 하는 처지다.

검찰 특별수사팀(팀장 문무일 검사장)은 22일 새벽 성 전 회장의 핵심 측근인 박준호(49) 전 경남기업 상무를 첫 참고인으로 조사하면서 긴급체포했다. 곧바로 또 다른 최측근인 수행비서 이용기(43)씨를 이날 오후 소환했다. 이씨는 2000년대 초반부터 성 전 회장을 그림자처럼 수행했던 인물이다. 국회에도 수석보좌관으로 따라갔다. 

박 전 상무와 이씨는 성 전 회장이 숨지기 전날 밤 대책을 논의했던 회의에 나란히 함께 하기도 했다.

이 자리에서 이른바 '비밀장부'가 작성됐다는 의혹이 제기되고 있다. 검찰은 두 사람을 각각 떼어 조사하면서 성 전 회장의 금품 로비 의혹과 비밀장부 존재 등을 확인하는 것으로 알려졌다.

박 전 상무나 이씨는 성 전 회장의 정치권 금품제공이라는 이번 수사의 큰 줄기에서 보자면 밑그림을 구체화해줄 '협조자'에 가깝다.

그런데도 박 전 상무의 신병을 영장도 없이 확보한 배경을 두고 협조를 최대한 이른 시간에 효율적으로 끌어내려는 포석이라는 분석이 나온다.

박 전 상무는 성 전 회장의 비자금 조성 창구로 지목된 대아건설과 온양관광호텔 대표를 맡고 있다. 그는 일단 증거인멸 피의자 신분이다. 그러나 경남기업 비자금을 최종적으로 책임질 성 전 회장이 숨진 상황에서 횡령 혐의가 추가될 가능성도 있다.

박준호 전 경남기업 상무

금품 로비를 밝히기 위해 비자금 흐름을 다시 들여다보는 검찰이 박 전 상무와 동상이몽을 꾸는 셈이다.

박 전 상무는 검찰 조사에서 일단 성 전 회장의 정치자금 전달 의혹이나 비밀장부 존재에 대해 모른다는 취지로 진술한 것으로 전해졌다.

검찰은 박 전 상무를 상대로 긴급체포 시한인 48시간 동안 성 전 회장의 정치권 금품로비에 대한 진술을 최대한 들어보고 이씨를 통해 박 전 상무의 진술을 확인하는 과정을 거쳐 구속영장 청구 여부를 결정하게 될 것으로 보인다.

가장 협조자에 가까운 박 전 상무의 진술을 우선 들어보고 진술의 신빙성을 이씨를 통해 재확인하는 과정인 셈이다. 

의혹의 실체와 가까운 인물들을 압박하는 전략은 과거에도 자주 등장했다. 2008년 삼성그룹 비자금 의혹 특검 당시 첫 입건자도 증거인멸 혐의를 받은 삼성화재 임직원들이었다. 2006년 현대차그룹, 재작년 CJ그룹 비자금 의혹 수사 때도 오너의 측근 임원들이 검찰에 나왔다가 잇따라 긴급체포됐다. 

검찰은 의혹의 열쇠를 쥔 박 전 상무를 외부와 격리시키려는 의도도 갖고 있다. 줄줄이 소환조사를 받을 성 전 회장의 측근들이나 '리스트 8인' 주변 인사와의 연락을 차단해 진술이 오염되지 않게 하려는 것이다. 검찰은 이미 리스트에 들어있는 정치인 관계자들이 경남기업 측과 접촉을 시도한 정황을 포착한 상태다. (연합뉴스)
Emailrahnita@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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