Opposition GNP’s Illegal Funding Estimated at W82.3 Bil.

By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter

President Roh Moo-hyun’s campaign team took a combined 11.3 billion won in illegal corporate donations during the 2002 presidential race, the state prosecution said on Monday, announcing the mid-term results of a four-month probe into the fundraising scandal.

The prosecution also said it has found that the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) raised a total of 82.3 billion won in illegal funds from the nation’s major business conglomerates.

The announcement has raised particular interest in light of Roh’s pledge last year that he would step down if his camp was found to have collected more than one-tenth the illegal donations of the GNP.

Moon Hyo-nam, a prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, made it clear during a press briefing that the tally is not final, and the amounts may rise further depending on how the investigation unfolds.

Prosecutors held the briefing to outline the progress of its campaign fundraising probe, which was launched late last year to bring to light the corporate donations to politicians during the presidential race.

Prosecutors said Samsung Group, the nation’s largest conglomerate, gave 3 billion won in illegal funds to Ahn Hee-jung, a former aide to Roh during the elections.

``We’ve confirmed Ahn took 3 billion won from Samsung in late 2002,’’ Moon said. ``Half of the money was bonds, and the other 1.5 billion won was cash.’’

It remains to be seen whether Roh, then-presidential candidate of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), had a hand in the fund transfer. Prosecutors didn’t mention how they plan to deal with the president.

Moon said Ahn, a key fundraiser for Roh during the presidential race, took 650 million won from Lotte Group, 500 million won from Taekwang Corporation and 450 million won from another unidentified firm.

Prosecutors said they are considering taking Lee Hoi-chang, former GNP presidential candidate and Roh’s political archrival, to court regarding his party’s misconduct. But they added they have yet to find any evidence suggesting the direct involvement of Lee or Roh.

But prosecutor Ahn Dai-hui, chief of the investigation team, said he will delay summoning politicians until after the April 15 elections.

``We made that decision because there are concerns that our investigation may affect the elections,’’ Ahn said.

The investigation has been viewed as an important factor in the upcoming elections, which come on the heels of corruption scandals that have resulted in the trials of a dozens of politicians and businessmen. GNP lawmakers Kim Young-iel and Choi Don-woong and lawyer Seo Jeong-woo, key members of the Lee Hoi-chang camp, are behind bars, while Ahn and Choi Do-sul, Lee Kwang-jae and other Roh confidents are on trial.

In the face of a backlash from opposition parties, who call the investigation biased, the prosecution has recently showed signs of turning its attention to conglomerates’ donations to Roh’s camp in 2002.

In consideration of the difficult economic situation facing the country, conglomerate owners and other businessmen involved will not be held during the investigations, Ahn said. He added however the investigation of Samsung, Hyundai Motor Group, Dongbu Group and construction firm Buyoung, now under scrutiny for their illegal donations, will continue.

Prosecutors said the GNP returned part of the bonds it took from Samsung Group after the prosecution embarked on an investigation last year.

About 13.8 billion won in bonds, out of a total of 34 billion won in bonds and cash the group gave to GNP, was returned to Samsung executive Kim In-ju, they said.


jj@koreatimes.co.kr