By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The prosecution has traced the bank accounts of a former Samsung Group insider in its probe into the conglomerate's alleged slush fund creation and bribery.
Prosecutors said they may summon key Samsung executives allegedly involved in the illegalities and raid the head offices of the group.
A prosecutor said Tuesday that investigators began tracing money flow in four bank and stock accounts of Kim Yong-chul, the group's former legal department director, who claimed Samsung opened the accounts without his knowledge.
He said that Samsung has more than 1,000 accounts registered under the names of its key executives.
Prosecutors are probing whether Samsung opened accounts under Kim's name at Woori Bank branch located in its headquarters' building in central Seoul and Goodmorning Shinhan Securities branch in Dogok-dong of southern Seoul at the instruction of the group chairman Lee Kun-hee, vice chairman Lee Hak-soo and president Kim In-joo.
If the false name accounts and slush fund creation are confirmed, the prosecution will expand the search into more executives' accounts.
The probe is conducted in cooperation with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Financial transactions by not only Samsung officials but also group affiliates are likely to be under investigation.
The prosecutor said they would soon decide whether to investigate other allegations by the former lawyer Kim that the group manipulated accounting records to create slush funds and that the chairman's family kept their assets under group executives' names. The FSS also said it would inspect the accounting fraud allegation if Kim presents detailed evidence.
``We'll decide whether to summon those allegedly involved and whether to raid Samsung affiliates,'' he said.
The prosecution will also question the whistleblower Kim soon. ``As there are so many allegations, we may have to question him several times,'' the prosecutor said.
The case, however, will be handed over to an independent counsel, as President Roh Moo-hyun did not veto the special prosecutors' team Tuesday.
Samsung categorically denied the allegations, but said it would cooperate with prosecutors.