By Yoo Dong-ho
Staff Reporter

A private moneylender delivered 2 billion won ($1.6 million) in illegal funds to a party’s campaign headquarters on two separate occasions during the 2002 presidential race, the company’s former official confirmed on Thursday.

On the last day of the three-day National Assembly hearing on illegal presidential funds, Kim Jin-hee who worked for Good Money, a moneylender, said that she witnessed her boss packing the money for delivery.

``I saw company officials put 2 billion won in cash into five trunks twice in late November and December in 2002 and pass them to former company president Kim Young-hoon,’’ Kim said.

``I am sure that the money was funneled to the political community.’’ Kim however, declined to elaborate on whether the money was delivered to President Roh Moo-hyun’s camp.

Her testimony comes a day after Cho Jae-hwan, a lawmaker from the minor opposition Millennium Democratic Party lawmaker (MDP), dropped the bombshell allegation that Roh received 3 billion won in illegal funds from the private moneylender through Rep. Shin Geh-ryeun, chief of staff to Roh, then president-elect.

In a separate development of the parliamentary hearing, Kim Jae-chul, chairman of Dongwon Industries, said not a single cent had been delivered to Roh’s campaign team.

Kim’s remarks followed MDP lawmaker Kim Kyung-jae’s recent allegation that President Roh’s campaign team took 5 billion won from Dongwon Fisheries during the 2002 presidential race.

``Other than legal political donations of several millions of won, I have never donated any types of political funds,’’ Kim said.

Grilling Kim, Rep. Kim Kyung jae claimed that he secured solid evidence that can back up his allegation from an official from the National Intelligence Service. But he declined to unveil the official’s identification.

The lawmaker pushed for the parliamentary hearing to clarify the nature of what, he said, were illicit political donations.

yoodh@koratimes.co.kr