Court rejects arrest warrant for lawmaker over money-for-nomination scandal

A local court on Friday rejected a request by prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant for a lawmaker accused of paying for her party's nomination ahead of April's parliamentary elections.

Rep. Hyun Young-hee, now an independent after recently being expelled from the ruling Saenuri Party, is accused of giving 300 million won ($264,100) to members of the party's nomination committee ahead of the April elections in exchange for securing a proportional representative ticket.

Prosecutors suspect she delivered the money through Cho Ki-moon, a former party official based in the southeastern city of Busan, but both have denied that allegation.

Hyun insists she gave 5 million won to Cho to cover his expenses while he helped her with her campaign, and received it back several days later. Cho, meanwhile, has claimed he accepted 50 million won from the lawmaker and spent it.

Prosecutors said they will continue investigate whether the money was delivered to Hyun Ki-hwan, a former Saenuri lawmaker who served as a member of the nomination committee ahead of April's elections.

The court's summons came a day after the National Assembly voted in favor of Rep. Hyun's arrest by a large margin.

Under South Korean law, prosecutors are required to seek the Assembly's approval in order to arrest a lawmaker while the parliament is in session. (Yonhap)