By Kim Se-jeong
Retired Adm. Choi Yoon-hee, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was questioned Tuesday about allegations that he and members of his family took bribes from a weapons dealer over the country's 1-trillion won deal in 2012 to buy maritime helicopters.
He is the highest ranking officer to face investigation into corruption allegations in the defense industry since 1996 when former Defense Minister Lee Yang-ho was arrested.
The summons came 48 days after he finished his 42-year military career last month.
"I will fully cooperate with the investigation," Choi said as he arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul.
Prosecutors interrogated him about whether he took money from arms dealer, Ham Tae-heon, in exchange for influence peddling in the helicopter deal. Choi was Chief of Naval Operations at that time.
In 2012, Korea placed orders for eight AgustaWestland's AW159 Lynx Wildcats, a search and rescue, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine helicopter. Ham arranged the deal between the government and AgustaWestland.
However, it was later found out that the Navy had forged documents about the chopper's operational capability. The evaluation was made before the helicopter had even been produced.
Seven former and incumbent military personnel were arrested earlier for forging the documents. One of them, a rear admiral surnamed Park, told investigators that he followed Choi's orders in the deal.
The prosecution questioned Choi over whether he had knowingly approved the forged documents about the helicopters' operational capabilities.
Prosecutors found suspicious transactions between Ham and Choi's son. The son received 20 million won from Ham but returned 15 million won. In an earlier interrogation, the son maintained the money had nothing to do with his father and he borrowed the money from Ham for his own business.
Choi's wife was also summoned earlier, and she denied the allegation that she received money from Ham.
In related probes, Kim Yang, former head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, was also indicted for taking money from Ham in connection with the "Wildcat Project."
Separately, the prosecution also questioned Jung Hong-yong, the president of the Agency for Defense Development, for allegedly taking money from Ham in exchange for giving a favorable review of weapons components manufactured by Ham's company. Jung allegedly took 40 million won from Ham for his son's overseas study expenses.
Earlier this month, the prosecution asked the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide bank records of Ham, a Korean-American.
The prosecution plans to seek an arrest warrant for Ham later this week. Its initial attempt to arrest him failed, as a local court rejected the request, citing a lack of evidence.
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| Choi Yoon-hee, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
He is the highest ranking officer to face investigation into corruption allegations in the defense industry since 1996 when former Defense Minister Lee Yang-ho was arrested.
The summons came 48 days after he finished his 42-year military career last month.
"I will fully cooperate with the investigation," Choi said as he arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul.
Prosecutors interrogated him about whether he took money from arms dealer, Ham Tae-heon, in exchange for influence peddling in the helicopter deal. Choi was Chief of Naval Operations at that time.
In 2012, Korea placed orders for eight AgustaWestland's AW159 Lynx Wildcats, a search and rescue, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine helicopter. Ham arranged the deal between the government and AgustaWestland.
However, it was later found out that the Navy had forged documents about the chopper's operational capability. The evaluation was made before the helicopter had even been produced.
Seven former and incumbent military personnel were arrested earlier for forging the documents. One of them, a rear admiral surnamed Park, told investigators that he followed Choi's orders in the deal.
The prosecution questioned Choi over whether he had knowingly approved the forged documents about the helicopters' operational capabilities.
Prosecutors found suspicious transactions between Ham and Choi's son. The son received 20 million won from Ham but returned 15 million won. In an earlier interrogation, the son maintained the money had nothing to do with his father and he borrowed the money from Ham for his own business.
Choi's wife was also summoned earlier, and she denied the allegation that she received money from Ham.
In related probes, Kim Yang, former head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, was also indicted for taking money from Ham in connection with the "Wildcat Project."
Separately, the prosecution also questioned Jung Hong-yong, the president of the Agency for Defense Development, for allegedly taking money from Ham in exchange for giving a favorable review of weapons components manufactured by Ham's company. Jung allegedly took 40 million won from Ham for his son's overseas study expenses.
Earlier this month, the prosecution asked the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide bank records of Ham, a Korean-American.
The prosecution plans to seek an arrest warrant for Ham later this week. Its initial attempt to arrest him failed, as a local court rejected the request, citing a lack of evidence.
