Summons on Corporate Officials to Start Today

Investigating the “presidential campaign illegal fund raising,” the supreme public prosecution office decided on Sunday to summon officials of the conglomerates from which the prosecution has obtained evidence revealing their involvement in distributing improper funds to President Roh’s camp or to the rival campaigning group during last year’s presidential campaign.

The prosecution is planning to inform its intentions to summon officials of major conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai Auto, Lotte, Dusan and Pungsan for their roles in handing over 300 million won, in the name of the three former and present presidents, to then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party in order to avoid the limitation set for corporations’ donations.

An official of the prosecution stated, “Not only are the major conglomerates mentioned, but also the companies with evidence of handing over illegal campaigning funds or were known to have handed over large amounts of illegal funds. They will be the first ones to be investigated,” implying its plans to investigate those conglomerates not mentioned.

The prosecution has also decided to pursue follow-up investigations on drawing accounts as search and seizure warrants are being sought against companies that are found to have supplied illegal presidential campaign funds to camps of both parties. In regards to some conglomerates, the prosecution is carefully considering a search and seizure investigation on the camps’ central reform house offices in order to obtain evidence such as accounting data.

In addition, the prosecution will summon Uri Party’s member Lee Sang-su for the third time on Monday, requiring a submission of the election preparations committees’ account and receipts of various donations while carrying out intensive investigations as to whether it had received illegal presidential campaign funds by using different name accounts. But the prosecution revealed, in regards to summoning Jung Dae-chul of the Uri Party’s standing counselor who had acted as the chairman for Millennium Democratic Party’s election committee, that it “would be difficult this week.”

Regarding the investigation of the Grand National Party (GNP), the prosecution will summon former secretary general, Kim Young-il, and investigate on issues such as the processing and usage of the 10 billion won SK bribe and whether the GNP had received any additional illegal campaign funds. The prosecution is also persuading Choi Don-ung, a GNP member who has refused to answer the prosecution’s summons and is out of contact, to attend to the summons voluntarily through his lawyer.

Tae-Hoon Lee Jin-Kyun Kil jefflee@donga.com leon@donga.com