Posted November. 06, 2003 23:07,
The investigation headquarters of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office revealed on November 6 that the prosecution is now investigating the suspicion that Choi Do-sul, ex-general secretary of President Roh, received a large amount of illegal money from Kim Sung-chul, the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Busan.
The prosecution dispatched an investigation team to Busan and underwent a lightning seizure and investigation of Kim Sung-chuls construction company as of this morning.
Kim Sung-chul has been a subject of discussion, since the issue was raised by Rep. Hong Jun-pyo of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP), over questions against the government in the National Assembly in the course of insisting upon the suspicion that Mr. Choi Do-sul accepted an additional 30 billion won. Rep. Hong insisted that Mr. Kim had visited the Blue House three times, including in June, and met with Moon Jae-in, the ex-chief presidential secretary of civil administration, in order to help local construction companies receive orders from public constructions.
However, the prosecution said that the suspicion of Kim Sung-chul supplying money has no concern with receiving 30 billion won which was raised by Rep. Hong Jun-pyo.
The prosecution also raised the suspicion that, in addition to SK, Mr. Choi received 70-80 million won from local entrepreneurs in Busan, including a high school classmate, after the presidential election last year. Consequently, the prosecution obtained clues of Choi accepting money from three or four local entrepreneurs, including Kim Sung-chul, and is now confirming this.
The prosecution does not have a spark of thought of only loosely investigating the scandals around President Roh, and there is a possibility of an additional disclosure of Choi Do-sul receiving money, said Moon Hyo-nam, the chief investigator of the planning section of investigation.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hong Jun-pyo, the chief of the committee of strategic plan of the GNP insisted, I know that the prosecution summoned and investigated Mrs. Choo, Choi Do-suls wife, at the beginning of August, and the prosecution should publicize what the prosecution had investigated.
The prosecution should reveal whether the investigation of Mrs. Choo was related to Choi Do-suls discharge from the Blue House on August 17, said Rep. Hong to journalists.