By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Jung Yoon-jae, a former top aide of President Roh Moo-hyun, was arrested on corruption charges Thursday.
The Busan District Court issued the arrest warrant, saying Jung, a former protocol secretary for Roh, may try to destroy evidence and flee the country.
Jung is being charged with abuse of power, receiving bribes and violating the Political Fund Law.
It is the second time in a month that one of Roh's former aides has been arrested by prosecutors. Byeon Yang-kyoon, the former chief presidential secretary for national policy, was arrested last Thursday on charges of influence peddling.
Jung allegedly received 20 million won from Busan-based contractor Kim Sang-jin for arranging two meetings _ last December and this February _ with Chung Sang-gon, the then Busan Regional Tax Office chief. Chung helped Kim win contracts for large-scale construction projects as well as granting him tax deductions. Both Kim and Chung have already been arrested.
The prosecution also alleged that Jung borrowed 100 million won from an acquaintance in 2005 to pay a deposit for the lease of a house, which it claimed was illegal political funding. There was no written bond of debt for the money and no mention of interest or a date when the money was to be paid back.
After rejecting the initial request for an arrest warrant last month, the court reversed its decision after agreeing with the prosecution's assertion that the suspect attempted to destroy evidence.
Chung said he accepted bribes and reduced Kim's tax under pressure from Jung. He also reportedly said Kim offered Jung's brother a role in the construction projects in return.
Jung has denied all the allegations, which he claims are all just political maneuvers. After the scandal, he resigned from his position at Cheong Wa Dae on Aug. 10, saying he wanted to focus on next year's general election. However, he denied his resignation was related to the scandal.
Jung gained the moniker ``Little Roh Moo-hyun in Busan'' as he was known to be a key aide to the president after establishing close relations when he worked as a speech writer for him in the 1988 general election.