The Aftermath of the DA’s Probe

The Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office officially launched a probe into three criminal complaints filed against the leading Grand National Party’s presidential candidate and former Seoul Mayor Lee Myeong-bak. The DA’s Office cited the need for clear standards for the public’s choice as the grounds for the move. A huge political storm is expected to follow.

Currently, another case is pending concerning the other Grand National Party candidate Park Geun-hye. She allegedly embezzled the funds of a scholarship foundation. Thus, the results of the investigations could have devastating impacts on the candidates.

GNP spokesperson Nah cautioned yesterday, “I believe the DA’s Office will maintain an unbiased position. I also hope it will clear the clouds of doubt hanging over our candidates. The prosecution should not be politically motivated or biased against one candidate over the others.”

At a meeting with supporters to celebrate the opening of his regional campaign office in Daejeon, Lee said yesterday, “The incompetent, socialist Roh administration seems to believe that I have to lose in the party primary. That’s the only way they could hold on to power.”

Candidate Lee’s key campaigner Rep. Lee Jae-oh held a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Seoul, and warned the prosecution, saying, “The cases are simple defamation cases in nature. It’s about candidate Lee’s relatives. They can wrap up the cases in three days. If the DA’s office wishes to manipulate the cases for political purposes, I will resist them with whatever means possible.”

In the meanwhile, the Seoul DA’s Office organized a special team yesterday to look into the cases involving candidate Lee, including one chief prosecutor and two associates specializing in white-collar crimes.

First, to see if candidate Park’s campaign staffer Seo Cheong-won’s allegation constitutes a defamation case, the office will scrutinize how POSCO bought back in 1995 a 6553m² land lot in Gangnam, Seoul for $26 billion, which was recorded at the time of sale in the name of Lee’s brother and brother-in-law.

Completing preliminary investigations into the various allegations reported in the media, the DA’s Office reportedly plans to summon Kim Jae-jeong as early as Thursday or Friday as a material witness.

The prosecution, however, will not track relevant banking records for now. Most of the allegations concern facts more than 10 years old. Financial institutes, however, only have to keep the records up to five years.

taylor55@donga.com will71@donga.com