By Lee Hyo-sik
Kim Hyo-jae, the former senior presidential secretary for political affairs, will be summoned for questioning Wednesday about his alleged involvement in a vote-buying scandal that has dealt a severe setback to the ruling Saenuri Party, the prosecution said Sunday.
According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, investigators will grill Kim, 60, about his role in the cash-for-votes scheme which allegedly took place during the 2008 leadership race of the then-ruling Grand National Party (GNP). The GNP changed its name to Saenuri early this month.
Former National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae won the GNP chairmanship and remained in the post until September 2009. Kim was the chief campaigner for Park and was appointed senior presidential secretary last year.
“When we notified Kim that he must appear for questioning, he asked us to give him more time. So, we are currently in talks with him over the schedule. He may appear for questioning on Wednesday,’’ a prosecutor said.
Investigators were previously in a dilemma over when to question Kim as he was working as a senior presidential aide. But they decided to bring him in after he tendered his resignation to President Lee Myung-bak last Friday. A day later, Lee accepted this after returning from an overseas trip to Turkey and three Arab states.
Former National Assembly Speaker Park also stepped down from his post on Feb. 9, to take responsibility for the cash-for-votes scandal.
Prosecutors plan to ask Kim whether he ordered GNP officials to deliver envelopes of cash to ruling party lawmakers, including Rep. Koh Seung-duk who blew the whistle by revealing that he was offered a cash envelope from Park’s campaign officers before the party convention in July 2008.
Kim will also likely be questioned about whether Park was aware of the vote-buying scheme at the time and if he played a role. Both Park and Kim have denied their involvement in the scandal.
But the prosecution said they have secured hard evidence and testimony backing their involvement.
Early last week, Ko Myung-jin, Park’s former secretary, told investigators that he received an envelope containing 3 million won ($2,600) returned by Rep. Koh and reported it to Kim. Ko also said the former presidential secretary scolded him for accepting the money back.
The prosecution also secured testimony that Kim provided 20 million won to An Byung-yong, chief of the ruling party’s main chapter in Seoul, who allegedly gave it to five of its members and ordered them to deliver it to the secretary generals of 30 other party chapters in the capital.
“We are positive that both Kim and Park were deeply involved in the cash-for-vote scheme. As soon as investigators complete questioning Kim, they will decide when to summon the former speaker to question him,” a prosecutor said.