By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Prosecutors have kicked off a full-scale probe of alleged hidden wealth of former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak.
The prosecution plans to question former POSCO Chairman Kim Mahn-je over a suspicious land trading involving family members of Lee, a leading presidential hopeful of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP).
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they would summon Kim as early as today. The summoning is made at a time when the GNP is to open a hearing on its presidential candidates one month ahead of the party nomination race.
The questioning will be part of an investigation into Lee's alleged speculative land transactions as former GNP lawmaker Suh Chung-won claimed that Lee asked Kim to make POSCO buy property in Dogok-dong of southern Seoul, which was registered under the names of Lee's brother Lee Sang-eun and brother-in-law Kim Jae-jung.
In 1985, Kim and Lee's brother jointly bought the land from Hyundai Construction and Engineering, of which Lee was president at that time, for 1.5 billion won. In 1995, they sold the land to POSCO Engineering and Construction for 26.3 billion won.
Suh claimed Lee, the real owner of the land, borrowed the names of family members to hide his wealth.
Suh said that around 1993 or 1994, Lee met the former POSCO chairman three times to ask him to exercise influence so that POSCO could purchase the land, saying he was the owner of the land. Suh said he heard it directly from the chairman, but Lee's brother-in-law Kim sued Suh for defamation.
Following summons of Suh Tuesday, the prosecution questioned GNP lawmaker Park Jong-keun and former lawmaker Hwang Byung-tae Wednesday over whether Suh's claim was true. They said they and Suh together heard Kim saying that when the four played golf in Gyeonggi Province on June 7.
Prosecutors said they are asking Lee's brother to present himself for questioning.
The prosecution is also questioning members of Seoul City's committee for balanced development over whether the city gave favor to Hongeun Planning, a subsidiary of DAS in which Lee's brother and brother-in-law Kim are major shareholders. The company made a big fortune as the committee designated properties in eastern Seoul, which the firm had purchased, as a site for development.
They were also questioned over an allegation that the city government changed the urban development plan to allow the company to construct buildings in the region.