Lawyer Alleges Documents Show Lees Involvement in Financial Scam

A Los Angeles-based lawyer said Tuesday she has sent South Korean investigators substantial material allegedly showing a clear link between the country's presidential front-runner and a massive financial scandal

involving her brother.

The statement comes a day after a box apparently full of documents weighing over 10 kilograms arrived at the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office, where Kim Kyung-joon is undergoing a probe in connection with a 2001 case of stock price manipulation and embezzlement.

Kim, a former business partner of South Korea's leading presidential candidate, Lee Myung-bak, was extradited late last week from the United States to be questioned over a suspected financial scam that reportedly led to the loss of 60 billion won of local investors' money.

He has claimed that Lee took part in the alleged wrongdoing after signing a secret contract with him to ensure he had full ownership of an asset management company that was later used in the suspected share price rigging.

Lee, who enjoys support ratings over 40 percent ahead of next month's presidential polls, has denied his involvement, saying Kim's claim is part of a political ploy aimed at undermining his popularity.

Erica Kim, a Korean-American lawyer and Kim Kyung-joon's sister, said Tuesday that the box delivered to South Korean prosecution contains evidence that Lee played a role in the suspected scam in 2001.

"I can't say much for now, but I have submitted to the South Korean prosecution the separate contract," Erica Kim told Yonhap News Agency by phone Tuesday, referring to secret documents Lee is alleged to have created with Kim Kyung-joon.

Kim Kyung-joon allegedly floated rumors about an immiment merger of one of his companies to push up its share price and then embezzled 38 billions of won (US$41 million) before fleeing to the U.S. in 2001.

He withdrew his opposition to extradition earlier this month after fighting for years.

Lee, the standardbearer of the conservative Grand National Party, is legally protected from being summoned by prosecution after he formally registers his presidential bid this weekend. Prosecutors have said they hope to reach an interim conclusion as early as this week.

Despite the growing scandal, opinion polls suggest Lee will gain victory in the Dec. 19 presidential voting. A string of surveys released this week showed the former Seoul mayor and business executive maintains his support ratings at around 40 percent, while other candidates received less than 20 percent.

Erica Kim, a naturalized U.S. citizen, said she plans to hold a press conference in Los Angeles Wednesday to disclose copies of the documents she sent to South Korea.