Bribery probe to widen to 2012 campaign
By Kim Rahn
Hong Moon-jong Saenuri Party lawmaker
Prosecutors investigating a bribery scandal involving the late Keangnam Enterprises Chairman Sung Woan-jong may widen their probe to include campaign funds raised by political parties ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
Prosecutors said Monday that they are looking into claims by Sung that he gave 200 million won to Rep. Hong Moon-jong of the ruling Saenuri Party, a key campaigner for then-candidate Park Geun-hye. Hong was one of eight politicians listed as having accepted bribes on a memo Sung wrote before he committed suicide in early April.
The prosecution reportedly secured testimony that corresponds to Sung’s claim from former company Vice President Han Jang-seop.
According to the prosecutors, Han said during questioning that Sung ordered him to provide 200 million won to the party via a party official, surnamed Kim, in 2012. But Han said that he did not know precisely how the money was spent.
As Han was in charge of Keangnam’s finances since 2011, the prosecution believes he was a key figure in the alleged creation of a company slush fund and the offering of kickbacks. Han has been summoned for questioning twice.
Prosecutors are examining Sung’s movements around the time of the election, Keangnam’s cash withdrawal records, and phone call records of related figures to find out exactly when and where the alleged kickbacks were offered.
Before committing suicide, Sung told a local daily that he gave 200 million won in cash to Hong who was one of the leaders of the Park camp. Sung said, “He may not have used the money for himself, but for the election campaign.”
Hong denied this, saying that he would leave politics if it was proven that he had received anything from Sung.
If the allegation is confirmed and the money was part of illegal political funds given to the ruling party’s election camp, the investigation may then target Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and Busan Mayor Seo Byung-soo who worked alongside Hong. The three were among eight politicians Sung named in the memo.
But through the memo and the interview, Sung did not mention dates or other details about the alleged bribes to Yoo and Seo, only their names and the amount he gave them.
In the meantime, the prosecution summoned former Keangnam Vice President Yun Seung-mo for questioning for the third consecutive day Monday. He allegedly delivered 100 million won from Sung to South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo when the latter was campaigning to become leader of the Grand National Party, the predecessor of the Saenuri Party, in 2011.
Prosecutors questioned Yun over exactly when, where and how he delivered the money to the governor. They plan to summon the governor soon after finishing interrogating Yun and Sung’s other aides.