Investigation Launched into Roh and Chung’s Campaign Funds

The Central Investigation Agency of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office announced that it has launched an investigation into illegal fund raising campaigns by President Roh Moo-hyun and Uri Party leader Chung Dong-young. The Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) filed a complaint against them on Monday.

“We will thoroughly investigate all sorts of illegal political funds in a way that all people can understand and satisfy,” said chief prosecutor Ahn Dae-hee.

It has been known that the investigating team consulted with top-level prosecutors, including Prosecutor General Song Kwang-soo, on whether or not to investigate the illegal funds of politicians who participated in the MDP’s primary election in March and April 2002.

The prosecution will first summon a MDP executive, a plaintiff, to investigate the details of the complaint. Then it will focus on collecting evidence by summoning corporations that are suspected of giving illegal funds to the primary runners.

The prosecution, sooner or later, will call Ahn Hee-jung, a close aide to President Roh Moo-hyun, to find out whether or not the president was involved in collecting funds from Daewoo Engineering and Construction in March 2002. It is also considering investigating persons who were in charge of the accounts of Chung.

“Not a clue has been found to reveal the illegal funds of the MDP primary runners, and we will not summon corporations without having any solid evidence,” said a prosecution official.

The Central Investigation Agency found out on Monday that Choi Do-sul, a former presidential aide, was involved in money laundering. He received 20 million won in cash from an outsider and handed the money to a Cheong Wa Dae official, who put the money in a Cheong Wa Dae account. Choi later withdrew the money by check.

The prosecution confirmed that Choi received six million won in cash from Hyundai Securities. It sent the report to the special prosecution team, which is in charge of investigating the president’s confidants.

The prosecution also revealed that Ahn Hee-jung received 300 million won by check from Park Yeon-cha, Chairman of Taekwang Group, in March 2003, and 100 million won by check from Kwon Hong-sa, Chairman of Bando Inc. in August 2003.

It will also deal with a libel suit brought by Dongwon Group against MDP lawmaker Kim Kyeong-jae. He recently disclosed that the group provided five billion won to the Roh camp.

Meanwhile, the Seoul District Prosecutors Office is adjusting time to seek an arrest warrant again on MDP lawmaker Han Hwa-gap.

The prosecution is tracking an account of Han to find out about the 50 million won in checks out of 650 million won he received from High-Tech Housing in 2002.

myzodan@donga.com jefflee@donga.com