Samsung Offices, Chairman’s Home Raided

Prosecutors probing the Samsung Group’s slush fund and bribery scandal yesterday raided eight Samsung offices and the homes of the conglomerate’s chairman Lee Kun-hee and his top executives.

The raid came four days after the independent counsel began operations, as prosecutors simultaneously raided the residences of top executives, directors and employees for evidence.

The places searched included a country house in the eastern Seoul suburb of Namyangju and a home in southern Seoul owned by Kim In-ju, head of the group’s strategy and planning department; the Seoul residence of Choi Kwang-hae, vice finance president for the strategic support team; and the home of the team’s director Jeon Yong-bae.

Investigators also raided the homes of two other employees of the team.

Attention is focused on the raids on the homes of Choi Kwang-hae, in charge of the group’s financial affairs, and his subordinates since conclusive proof of the scandal might be found there.

Two prosecutors and investigators went in early morning and secured memos, letters, files stored in personal computers and documents on the group’s management. After finishing around 1 p.m., they brought the documents and laptop computers to their office and began analyzing them.

Assistant prosecutor Yoon Jeong-seok said, “We did not confiscate boxes of materials like other investigations into companies. It was a normal search.”

Former Samsung attorney Kim Yong-chul was also summoned for the third time to testify in the case. The whistle blower of the scandal presented a memo containing content related to suspicions that the Lee family bought expensive artwork.