Ex-prosecutor hints at existence of Rohs borrowed-name accounts

By Lee Hyo-sik

A former senior prosecutor who led the investigation last year into a bribery scandal involving Park Yeon-cha, a financial backer of the late-former President Roh Moo-hyun and other politicians, is causing a stir with remarks hinting that a slush fund was created by Roh via borrowed-name bank accounts.

Lee In-gyu, former head of a central investigation unit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, also alleged that several lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) received at least $10,000 from Park, but avoided prosecution because of Roh’s suicide.

In an interview with a local weekly newspaper Sunday, Lee said National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Hyun-oh’s earlier remarks alluding to the existence of Roh’s borrowed-named bank accounts were not entirely unfounded.

Earlier this year when Cho was head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, he commented that the former head of state’s suicide had something to do with the prosecution’s discovery of his bank accounts opened under borrowed names.

Half true, half false?

“Cho’s remarks are neither entirely false nor entirely correct. During the investigation, we discovered an unusual flow of money. But we were not sure whether the late former President Roh had borrowed-name bank accounts or not,” Lee was quoted as saying.

The former President committed suicide on May 23 by jumping off a cliff near his retirement home in South Gyeongsang Province amid a widening investigation on charges of having taken bribes from Park.

Roh had been summoned by the prosecution for questioning about whether he and his family had accepted money from the former CEO of the Busan-based shoemaker Taekwang, while he was the head of state from 2003 through 2008. Some of his close aides were put behind bars for taking bribes from Park.

Following Roh’s suicide, the prosecution ended the investigation into the bribery scandal involving him and his family members. Lee resigned from the prosecution, feeling partially responsible for the death of the former President. He now works at a private law firm.

Lee also told the newspaper that he was willing to testify before the National Assembly last month, contending that senior government officials and lawmakers of both governing and opposition parties asked him not to. He also insisted that the investigation into the late former President Roh, Park and other influential figures of the previous administration eventually led him to probe influential figures of the current Lee Myung-bak Administration. But he decided not to expand the investigation in order not to become an enemy of those in power.

“Several opposition party members received at least $10,000 each from Park. But they went unpunished because of Roh’s suicide. Many more were able to avoid punishment, owing to his death,” he said.

In response to Lee’s remarks, Rep. Ahn Hyoung-hwan of the Grand National Party (GNP) said Sunday that the former prosecutor should disclose the identities of the opposition party lawmakers who received bribes from Park but remain unpunished.

Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the main opposition DP said Lee should make public those who had pressured him not to proceed with the investigation of prominent figures of the incumbent administration.

Rep. Park Young-sun of the DP also said Monday that Lee should take full responsibility for his remarks, urging the former prosecutor to come before the Assembly and reveal the truth behind prosecutors’ probe into the bribery scandal.

Meanwhile, Moon Jae-in, head of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and one of Roh’s close aides will appear before the prosecution on Thursday to defend the foundation’s Aug. 18 libel suit against the police chief.

It argued that Cho defamed the reputation of the late-former President and spread false rumors by suggesting that Roh took his own life because investigators had found his borrowed-named bank accounts.