By Lee Hyo-sik
SLS Group Chairman Lee Kook-chul and Shin Jae-min, former vice culture minister, turned themselves in to the prosecution at the same time Thursday to present their respective accounts concerning a bribery scandal.
Lee has claimed that he gave Shin, who is also a close aide to President Lee Myung-bak, more than 1 billion won ($850,000) from June 2002 to August 2009. He also insisted other presidential aides and a senior prosecutor received money from him.
In response, Shin, a former journalist, only admitted to receiving department store gift certificates on several occasions from the chairman and has done nothing wrong in exchange. He insists he received no cash from Lee.
“We summoned both individuals to find out who is lying. We will question them about Lee’s claim that he had provided money to Shin and other influential figures. We will also ask them about whether the businessman lobbied senior prosecutors,” a prosecution official said.
The simultaneous summons of the two is seen as the final stage of the investigation.
Shin arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul at 10:05 a.m., accompanied by a lawyer. It was the second time for him to be summoned. He did not respond to any questions from reporters as he entered the prosecution building.
Thirty minutes earlier, Lee appeared at the office for the fourth time.
Lee complained about the direction of the prosecutors’ investigation.
“Investigators act like the defense attorney for those who received money from me. I provided the prosecution with all the materials. If prosecutors do not get to the bottom of the case, I will make my secret records public,” Lee said before entering the building.
Lee has claimed that through Shin, he gave gift certificates to Lim Jae-hyun, presidential secretary for public relations and Kwak Seung-joon, chief of a presidential council.
The businessman has also alleged that he provided entertainment worth about 5 million won to Park Young-joon, the former vice minister of knowledge economy during a trip to Japan. Lee said his broker bribed Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin last year in exchange for business favors.
Investigators have been trying to verify the spending on a corporate credit card which Lee claimed Shin had used.
Lee said Shin spent tens of millions of won using the credit card registered in the name of SLS’s Singapore branch from August 2008 through November 2009 during which he was the vice minister.