The Prosecution Captured the Clues of Additional Illegal Funds Besides Samsung Electronics

The Central Investigation Bureau at the Supreme Public Prosecutor`s Office, which is investigating the case of the illegal presidential election funds, has obtained clues that that the Samsung Group fund provided to the Millennium Democratic Party last year had been contributed by another affiliated company -- not by Samsung Electronics.

In this regard, the prosecution summoned the president of Cheil Industries Inc., Ahn Bok-hyun, and the former vice-president of Samsung Heavy Industries, Lee Dae-won, separately on November 28 and 29 and investigated the pros and cons of delivering the funds. The prosecution also said on November 30 that it expects to summon Soh Byoung-hae, the adviser of Samsung Fire Inc. sooner or later.

The prosecution plans to summon Lee Hak-soo of the Samsung Restructuring Head Office during this week and learn the size of presidential election funds that they delivered to the MDP and the opposition Grand National Party last year during the presidential election. “According to the record of bank accounts, the clues obtained point out that the funds which were delivered to the Millennium Democratic Party through the name of three former and incumbent executive officers of Samsung had been contributed by Samsung,” said Ahn Dae-hee, a senior prosecutor heading the presidential campaign contribution investigation by the CIB at the Supreme Public Prosecutor`s Office. “It appears that these illegal funds are different from the illegal funds by Samsung Electronics.”

The prosecution also has obtained clues that Hyundai Motor Company delivered the funds contributed by Hyundai Capital Services Inc. to the MDP and the opposition GNP separately through Hyundai Mobis and summoned and investigated the chairman of Hyundai Capital Services Inc., Lee Kye-ahn, and the chairman of Hyundai Mobis, Park Jeong-in, on November 28. The prosecution plans to summon Kim Dong-jin, the vice-president of Hyundai Motor Company sooner or later.

In addition, the prosecution plans to summon President Roh’s supporter Kang Keum-won again, the president of Changshin Textile Co. Ltd., regarding the scandals surrounding President Roh Moo-hyun on December 1. It has been reportedly said that the prosecution is actively considering the criminal responsibility against President Kang due to his violation of the political fund law.

According to the prosecution, there is a high possibility that the 1.9 billion won and 950 million won that President Kang provided separately to President Roh’s followers, Lee Ki-myoung and Sun Bong-sul, can be deemed illegal political funds.

While tracing the party’s bank accounts, the prosecution found that the royal family of Jeonju Lee delivered about 100 million won directly to the central party but not to the aid association of the GNP during the presidential election last year. It recently summoned the people linked to the royal family of Jeonju Lee and pursued an investigation.

The prosecution is now investigating whether Lee Hoi-chang, the former GNP chairman, was involved in this since there is a high possibility that the money that the association of the royal family delivered to the GNP was illegal presidential election funds -- considering that the receipt was not issued.

In regard to the case of the Hyundai illegal funds, the prosecution also plans to issue an arrest warrant selectively and start judicial administration this week against Rep. Park Joo-chun and Rep. Im Jin-chool of the GNP, and Rep. Park Joo-sun and Rep. Lee Hoon-pyoung of the MDP, as well as Park Gwang-tae, the mayor of Jeonju.

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