Prosecution to indict Choi Soon-sil, ex-presidential aides tomorrow

Prosecutors will indict President Park Geun-hye's close confidante and two former key aides at the center of a widening influence-peddling scandal, the prosecution said Saturday as they are also believed to be deciding how responsible the president is in the case.

The special prosecution team investigating the scandal said it will announce on Sunday the indictment of Choi Soon-sil, Park's long-time friend, and two of the president's ex-secretaries -- An Chong-bum and Jeong Ho-seong -- in an interim investigation result.

Choi, a daughter of Park's late mentor Choi Tae-min, is facing charges that she used her close ties with Park for extracting tens of millions of dollars in donations from big companies into two non-profit foundations she controlled. An is also suspected of having pushed the companies into donating, abusing his power as a presidential secretary.

Charges against them also include forcing a state-run casino operator to place business orders to a private company owned by Choi, according to the prosecution.

Separately, An is also under suspicion that he helped Choi's cronies attempt to coerce local steel giant POSCO to cede an advertising company, the prosecution said.

Jeong is facing charges that he shuttled Park's speech transcripts and Cabinet meeting agendas between the president and Choi in illegal leaks of confidential documents, according to the prosecution.

The highlight of the Sunday announcement is expected to be whether and to what extent the prosecution would hold Park responsible for the charges.

The prosecution team has previously alluded to bringing criminal charges against Park as they prepares for a face-to-face interrogation of the president next week. (Yonhap)