Prosecutors investigate suspicions surrounding apartment sale to ex-president’s daughter

Prosecutors said Tuesday they have asked a Korean-American lawyer to appear for an interview as part of an investigation into suspicions surrounding the 2009 sale of his New Jersey apartment to the daughter of late President Roh Moo-hyun.

The probe revisits suspicions that Roh's daughter, Jeong-yeon, bought what is known as a "Hudson Club" apartment in 2009 with money provided by a Busan-based businessman at the center of a massive bribery scandal that prompted an investigation of the late president and his family.

Roh jumped off a cliff behind his retirement home to his death in 2009 amid the probe.

Prosecutors have so far found that the lawyer, surnamed Gyeong, received payment for the apartment sale via two brokers and one of them, a foreign-made car dealer, is suspected of using illicit means to exchange 1.3 billion won ($1.2 million) for U.S. dollars and then sending the money to the seller.

The other broker told investigators that he received the money in cash contained in seven boxes from an unidentified person wearing sunglasses and a face mask, and then delivered the money to the second broker for currency exchange and transferring.

Prosecutors have not yet discovered who the unidentified person was.

Officials said they obtained the lawyer's contact information from his father and left a message asking for his appearance. He was asked to appear as a witness, but there is a possibility that he could face foreign exchange violation charges, they said.

"We've not yet confirmed from Gyeong that he will comply, but we believe he will cooperate," an official said. "Otherwise, we will look for other ways to get him to appear." (Yonhap)