Prosecutors on Monday brought charges against a former police chief for making defamatory remarks against late President Roh Moo-hyun.
Commenting on the motive of Roh's suicide in a meeting with police officials in March 2010, Cho Hyun-oh, the former commissioner of the National Police Agency, said that police found large amounts of money kept in a borrowed-name bank account the night before Roh jumped to his death.
The former president jumped off a cliff behind his retirement home and died in May 2009, a year after leaving office, amid a widening probe by prosecutors over allegations his family members accepted illicit funds.
Cho also allegedly said former first lady Kwon Yang-suk had asked then ruling Uri Party, now renamed the Democratic United Party, not to push forward with a special prosecution investigation into the slush fund allegations.
After Cho's remarks were revealed, Roh's family sued him for libel.
Cho has claimed his remarks were based on investigative documents by the Central Investigation Unit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO), which handles large bribery cases.
Cho has also insisted he heard from the SPO that Roh and his wife each had borrowed-name bank accounts at Woori Bank.
Prosecutors, however, said they could not find any data backing up his argument within the prosecution investigation records on Roh and checked out relevant data from Woori Bank.
The former commissioner also insisted that he had been tipped off by an "important figure" who had access to the investigation, but did not reveal the identity of the person, according to prosecutors.
In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Cho said he "cannot accept the prosecution's investigation that there are no borrowed-name bank accounts without confirming with Woori bank."
"I understand that I have to endure being politically and morally blamed for making such remarks but can not accept that I have to be prosecuted," Cho said, adding that everything will be uncovered in court.
The investigation surrounding the former president's family was closed after Roh's death.
It was recently reopened after charges against the only daughter of Roh resurfaced.
Wrapping up the reinvestigation last month, prosecutors brought charges against Roh Jeong-yeon for buying a luxury home in the United States through an illicit currency exchange process.
Cho stepped down from his position in April this year after public uproar at police for bungling a woman's distress call in a kidnapping and murder case. (Yonhap)