The Central Investigation Department at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office (SPPO), which is conducting investigations into illegal presidential election funds, said on Wednesday that it found evidence Samsung Group provided corporate bonds worth W 17 billion to the Grand National Party (GNP), in addition to the already confirmed W 15.2 billion, and will launch an investigation. Hereby the total amount of illegal presidential election funds adds up to more than W 77 billion. The illegal presidential election funds of then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun are within W 10 billion. Owing to the lopsided reults, some are asking whether the investigations were biased. While prosecutors found that Samsung, LG, Hyundai Motors, and SK illegally delivered W 67.2 billion to the Grand National Party, they couldn't turn up one cent illegally given by those companies to the Roh campaign.
¡°While investigating the corporate bond market, we found clues that Samsung delivered W17 billion to the GNP, and we summoned debenture holders who did business with the GNP and Samsung. We are conducting investigations into the delivery process, encashment, and others matters,¡±prosecutors said.
The Prosecution believes Kim In-joo, Head of Samsung's corporate restructuring office, participated in the delivery process of the W17 billion and has prohibited him from leaving the country. It will also summon him soon. Vice-President of Restructuring Lee Hak-su, who has been in the U.S. on business since late January, is to report to prosecutors as soon as he re-enters Korea.
Prosecutors said they have confirmed that a large number of the bonds have already been cashed and some are left as bonds, and are keeping open the possibility the bonds might have been used privately; they are investigating the exact usage. Prosecutors also believe Samsung might have delivered illegal presidential election funds to the Roh campaign and are continuing with investigations.
Prosecutors are searching for the numbers of the W11.2 billion worth of corporate bonds the Samsung Group illegally provided the GNP through lawyer Seo Jung-woo, and are tracing their use.
(Jeon Su-yong, jsy@chosun.com )
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