Former Police Chief Summoned Over Bribery
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Prosecutors Thursday summoned former National Police Agency (NPA) chief Lee Taek-soon for his alleged acceptance of money from Park Yeon-cha, the disgraced owner of Busan-based shoemaking firm Taekwang, who is at the center of the high-profile corruption scandal involving former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Lee is suspected of having taken tens of millions of won in bribes from the businessman on several occasions when he was the deputy NPA commissioner and the commissioner at Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency between 2000 and 2003.
The prosecution questioned the former police chief over whether Park sought his influence. Another two or three former high-ranking police officers will also be summoned soon on similar suspicions.
Prosecutors will also question Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Chul-kook over his alleged receipt of bribes from the Taekwang CEO. Choi has claimed that he borrowed 70 million won from an acquaintance of Park to secure key money to rent a house in 2005 and paid it back in 2007, adding he did not take a penny in illegal political donations. But prosecutors appear to disagree with this claim.
Two to three former and incumbent lawmakers of the governing Grand National Party will also be interrogated. Lawmakers found to have received 100 million won will be indicted this month, a prosecutor said.
The prosecution has also decided to issue an arrest warrant for a 40-year friend of President Lee Myung-bak on charges of graft, tax evasion and stock rigging.
The decision was made Thursday after Sejoong Namo Tour Chairman Chun Shin-il was re-summoned for a final time.
Chun, the chairman of the Korea University Alumni Association, was questioned over whether he abused his friendship with President Lee to help Park, his long-time acquaintance, evade a tax audit.
He allegedly asked former National Tax Service Commissioner Han Sang-ryule to help Park avoid the audit between last July and November. Prosecutors suspect he received about 700 million won in undue gains from the disgraced CEO in return for the ``failed'' lobbying.
Chun is also suspected of having handed over his stock holdings to his children through borrowed-name accounts to underreport inheritance tax by 10 billion won.
The prosecution also questioned him about the allegation that he manipulated stock prices and reaped huge gains in acquisitions and mergers of affiliates between 2003 and 2006.
Chun returned home late afternoon after his second summons following the first one Tuesday, which lasted more than 18 hours.