Ahn Hee-jung Seems to Receive Additional 1 Billion Won

The central investigation unit of the superior prosecution office has disclosed on February 18 that it considers summoning and investigating the 11 relevant current and former congressmen, who are under suspicion for exchanging bribery worth around 200 million won for each person when they entered the Grand National Party back in 2002.

The problematic congressmen are as follows: Congressman Kang Sung-gu, Kim Won-gil, Park Sang-gyu, Won Yu-chul, Lee Guen-jin, Lee Yang-hee, Lee Wan-gu, Lee Jae-sun, Chun Yong-hak, Han Seung-su, and the former congressman Kim Yoon-sik.

The prosecution has revealed that the Grand National Party had paid 50 million won for each person when they first joined in GNP from their former status as a non-partisan representative, or as a party defector from the Millennium Democratic Party, United Liberal Democrats, or the Minkook Party, and then provided an additional 150 million won for each congressman under the name of “activity expense” several times. As for some congressmen who required more money, the GNP supplied them with more 50 million won bundles. The prosecution has added that, “although in the case of some congressmen, the revealed money amounted to 50 million won only, and we will continue to inspect the details of the transactions.”

According to this, the relevant congressmen explained the problematic money as, “we regarded it as an official supply fund provided by the party headquarters,” or they strongly denied the suspicion of receiving the so-called, “scout money.”

“Considering the point that most of these congressmen did not forward the cash to the relevant party branches, it is highly suspect that they received the money being aware of it as a slush fund,” remarked a source in the prosecution, adding, “it is indispensable to inspect in order to unveil the truth.”

After wrapping up the inspection, the prosecution will consider whether or not to indict these congressmen for violating the law of “restriction and punishment of the concealment of criminal profits,” which is commonly called, “the law to prevent slush fund laundering.”

The prosecution has summoned Kim In-joo, the head of Samsung’s Restructuring Headquarters, and is investigating as to whether or not he has provided slush funds to Roh’s camp, and for the reasons of supplying the GNP with the debenture and money worth 37 billion won.

In addition, the prosecution presses Kim to substantiate that he has been paid back the debentures worth 17 billion won from GNP, as the GNP asserts.

On the other hand, the prosecution has come across evidence that Ahn Hee-jung, one of the president Roh’s close associates, has received an additional one billion won worth of slush funds from three companies at the time of the presidential election. According to this, the total amount of slush funds which Ahn has received around the presidential election has been increased to 5.5 billion won, and as for Roh’s camp, to 10.3 billion won.

Regarding some of the money, which Ahn has spent to purchase an apartment in February, 2003, the prosecution is confirming it. And as for the sources of the fund such as the survey expenditures spent in the area where he is scheduled to stand for election, the prosecution believes it comes from the illegal fund.

“Though I purchased the apartment in Ilsan with 310 million won, I paid for the contract fee with my wife’s retirement allowances and for the mid-way fee with the part of slush funds, 1 billion, which I entrusted to Kang Kuem-won, the chairman of Changsin Textiles, because the other apartment of mine in Bucheon was not sold in time,” declared Ahn on the prosecution’s investigation.

In addition, it has been known that among 200 million won which Ahn received from Kwon Hong-sa, the chairman of Bando, Ahn took back half of it, and spent the other half on a public opinion survey and on rent for his office in his electoral district.

Wi-Yong Jung Tae-Hoon Lee viyonz@donga.com jefflee@donga.com