By Lee Kyung-min
The prosecution questioned former Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh, Monday, over allegations he accepted 50 million won in bribes from a Busan-based construction company owner in return for helping the latter's acquaintances gain senior positions in the police force.
Cho appeared before Busan District Prosecutors' Office at 9 a.m.
"I met the company owner a couple of times, but I did not receive any money from him," he told reporters before entering the office. "I believe the truth will be made public."
Prosecutors suspect that Cho took the money from the company owner, surnamed Jeong, in 2011 when he was chief of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Cho allegedly helped at least four senior police officers, with whom Jeong was close, be promoted to higher positions at the agency.
During earlier questioning, Jeong told the prosecution that he offered the money "out of good will" as a friend, claiming the money was irrelevant to the promotion requests.
Prosecutors jointly questioned Cho and Jeong about the money-for-promotion deal. "The regional police agency chief has great power in almost all affairs in the organization, so we suspect that the money was bribery for the promotions in a broader sense," said a prosecutor.
The prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Jeong regarding the allegations twice in May, but a local court rejected them, citing a lack of evidence. The senior police officers involved in the allegation also claimed that their promotions were not connected with Cho.
Cho was also questioned over another bribery allegation involving two of his friends in Busan, surnamed Song and Lim.
Song received 12 million won from a man who asked him to deliver the money to Cho and requested the promotion of a police officer he was close to. Song was arrested, and the prosecution is investigating whether the money was really handed over to Cho or other high-profile police officials.
Meanwhile, Cho served eight months in prison and he was released in May last year for posthumously defaming the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. Regarding Roh's suicide in May 2009 amid the prosecution's intensifying probe into his bribery allegation, Cho said in 2013 that Roh committed suicide a day after police found a large sum of money in four bank accounts opened under the names of Cheong Wae Dae officials.
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| Cho Hyun-oh |
Cho appeared before Busan District Prosecutors' Office at 9 a.m.
"I met the company owner a couple of times, but I did not receive any money from him," he told reporters before entering the office. "I believe the truth will be made public."
Prosecutors suspect that Cho took the money from the company owner, surnamed Jeong, in 2011 when he was chief of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Cho allegedly helped at least four senior police officers, with whom Jeong was close, be promoted to higher positions at the agency.
During earlier questioning, Jeong told the prosecution that he offered the money "out of good will" as a friend, claiming the money was irrelevant to the promotion requests.
Prosecutors jointly questioned Cho and Jeong about the money-for-promotion deal. "The regional police agency chief has great power in almost all affairs in the organization, so we suspect that the money was bribery for the promotions in a broader sense," said a prosecutor.
The prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Jeong regarding the allegations twice in May, but a local court rejected them, citing a lack of evidence. The senior police officers involved in the allegation also claimed that their promotions were not connected with Cho.
Cho was also questioned over another bribery allegation involving two of his friends in Busan, surnamed Song and Lim.
Song received 12 million won from a man who asked him to deliver the money to Cho and requested the promotion of a police officer he was close to. Song was arrested, and the prosecution is investigating whether the money was really handed over to Cho or other high-profile police officials.
Meanwhile, Cho served eight months in prison and he was released in May last year for posthumously defaming the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. Regarding Roh's suicide in May 2009 amid the prosecution's intensifying probe into his bribery allegation, Cho said in 2013 that Roh committed suicide a day after police found a large sum of money in four bank accounts opened under the names of Cheong Wae Dae officials.
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