A former progressive party leader was acquitted Monday of charges that she was involved in an election fraud scandal ahead of the general elections in April, according to prosecutors.
The scandal centers on allegations that three aides to Lee Jung-hee, the former co-chairwoman of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP), rigged a crucial voter survey to help her win the single opposition candidacy for a parliamentary seat in Seoul's Gwanak district.
Lee was summoned on Friday for further questioning over whether she had known about the alleged tampering and ordered the aides to manipulate the survey.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which has been investigating the scandal, concluded that there are no charges against the former leader, citing a lack of evidence.
Ahead of the April's election, the UPP and the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) chose single joint candidates for the elections based on the results of telephone surveys asking voters which contenders they favored.
Lee eventually won the Gwanak race, defeating her rival from the DUP, but dropped out after revelations about her aides' involvement in manipulating the competition results. She also resigned from her leadership post in May, taking responsibility for other alleged instances of election fraud involving the party.
The lawyer-turned-politician has maintained her innocence in the alleged public survey rigging, saying her aides carried out the act without her knowledge. (Yonhap)