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Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee and his wife Hong Ra-hee
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Investigators looking into the Samsung corruption scandal have imposed a travel ban on Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee¡¯s wife Hong Ra-hee. Lawyer Kim Yong-chul, a former head of the legal department at Samsung Restructuring Office from 1997 until 2004, claimed in November last year that Hong and Lee¡¯s family had purchased expensive overseas artworks worth W60 billion (US$1=948) with money from a company slush fund between 2002 and 2003. The purchases were allegedly made through Hong Song-won, the chief of Seomi Gallery. Kim also said on Feb. 1 a 2004 investigation of presidential campaign funds had found that Samsung spent bonds worth W700 million on art.
Kim recently presented more data to the team led by independent counsel Cho Joon-woong. The team says it obtained evidence that the Lees purchased expensive artworks with the slush funds. It plans to question Lee¡¯s wife about how she bought the art and where the money came from. Investigators questioned the gallery head on Thursday, for the second time since Feb. 3.
The team also grilled former president of Samsung SDS Kim Hong-ki over allegations that Lee attempted to transfer the group ownership to his son by underhand means and questioned three other former Samsung executives who allegedly lent their names to the conglomerate for proxy bank accounts.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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