Rep. Hyun Young-hee of the ruling Saenuri Party will voluntarily appear before prosecutors Monday for questioning over allegations she bribed her way into parliament, an aide to the lawmaker said.
Hyun is accused of becoming a lawmaker on a proportional representation ticket after giving 300 million won ($266,310) to a member of the party's nomination committee ahead of April's general elections.
She plans to arrive at the Busan District Prosecutors' Office at 2 p.m., the aide told Yonhap News Agency in a phone call, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The bombshell revelations have dealt a blow to the Saenuri Party ahead of December's presidential election.
Three of the party's presidential contenders boycotted the primary race Friday after demanding the resignation of party Chairman Hwang Woo-yea. The three -- Yim Tae-hee, former chief of staff to President Lee Myung-bak, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo and former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Tae-ho -- said Hwang should take responsibility for the scandal because he played a role in the nomination process.
On Sunday, however, the three contenders returned to the race, but only after agreeing with Hwang, the party's presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye and a fifth contender, former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, that the party chief would step down if the prosecution finds Hyun guilty of the allegations.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in this southeastern city have stepped up their probe into the case by raiding Hyun's home and office to secure evidence and by tracking the transactions in her husband's bank account ahead of the general elections.
The former nomination committee member, Hyun Ki-hwan, voluntarily appeared before prosecutors Friday to undergo questioning over the allegations.
Both Hyun and Rep. Hyun have flatly denied the accusations. Despite a shared last name, the two are not related.
Prosecutors said they have also questioned a former aide and driver of Rep. Hyun, who first reported the case to the country's election watchdog, and a former official of the Saenuri Party's Busan office, who allegedly delivered the money to the former nomination committee member.
The two are expected to be summoned again for further questioning, prosecutors said. (Yonhap)