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Roh`s Confidant Moon To Be Summoned

Posted December. 03, 2003 23:03,   

한국어

Ahn Dae-hee, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau at the Supreme Public Prosecutor`s Office who secured evidence that 56 year-old Moon Byung-wook, the head of Sun & Moon Group and a fellow high school alumnus of President Roh, provided billions of won of slush funds to both ruling and opposition parties during the presidential election last year, summoned Moon on Wednesday for questioning.

The prosecution also raided the offices of the Sun & Moon Group in downtown Seoul on Wednesday to secure further evidence.

Moon Hyo-nam, a chief investigation planner at the Supreme Public Prosecutor`s Office, said, "Evidence that suggests Moon`s offering of illicit presidential election campaign funds to the Grand National Party and the Millennium Democratic Party has been discovered. The funds seems to be embezzled money from corporations."

Claiming the group laundered billions of won of illegal political funds, the prosecution is also investigating what it previously requested to the Financial Intelligence Unit under the Ministry of Finance and Economy and Moon`s alleged tax evasion that the Seoul District Prosecutors Office previously investigated. In addition, the prosecution is carefully reviewing whether to seek an arrest warrant for Moon.

The prosecution, in particular, is investigating the alleged suspicions that former vice-chairman of the group Kim Sung-rae provided slush funds to Lee Kwang-jae, who held the highest position of responsibility of briefing the president on state affairs.

In the meantime, the prosecution confirmed that the former chairman of a mineral water firm, Sun Bong-sul, a close confidant of President Roh Moo-hyun, received 340 million won - 110 million won more than it has been reported - from Choi Do-sul, Roh`s former secretary on general affairs, who took slush funds from SK.

The prosecution summoned Sun on the suspicion of money laundering but released him on the condition of returning on Wednesday night. In addition, the Pusan District Prosecutors Office is investigating the involvement of Lee Yeong-ro`s son in the transaction of the SK`s 1.1 billion won in illicit funds to Choi and Kim Sung-chul, chairman of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman, for embezzling funds.



Tae-Hoon Lee jefflee@donga.com