By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
One of the top Samsung Group affiliate executives was summoned Friday in the independent counsel's investigation into the conglomerate's alleged slush fund creation and bribery.
It is the first time that a Samsung executive has been called in since the special investigation team kicked off.
Seong Young-mok, president of Shilla Hotels and Resorts, was questioned over the allegations.
Seong, who was in the treasury team under group chairman Lee Kun-hee and in the management planning team of Samsung Securities, is believed to be well aware of the group's money flow. He is suspected of being involved in the group's management of false name accounts.
Samsung whistleblower and former lawyer Kim Yong-chul claimed earlier that Samsung opened thousands of accounts under its executives' names and kept slush funds in them.
The independent counsel also asked about 10 executives of Samsung affiliates to present themselves, and will call in one or two of them each day. The officials include Samsung Securities CEO Bae Ho-won; Samsung Community Relations executive Min Kyung-choon; strategic planning office executive Jeon Yong-bae; and two employees of the strategic planning office whose homes were raided earlier.
All of them are those under whose names the group allegedly opened bank and stock accounts. Having worked or still working at the strategic planning office, they are suspected of having played a key role in the alleged slush fund management.
The counsel is tracing money flow in more than 300 accounts that the prosecution had examined before handing over the case to the special probe team.