A ruling party lawmaker, who had also served a key post in the election camp of the president, will be summoned this week for questioning in a high-profile bribery scandal that surfaced with a note left by a businessman who killed himself, the prosecution said Sunday.
Rep. Hong Moon-jong of the ruling Saenuri Party will be summoned Monday afternoon for questioning over allegations that he may have received illegal political funds from Sung Wan-jong, a former lawmaker and head of a construction firm who committed suicide in April.
Hong is one of eight politicians, including former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, accused of receiving illegal funds or bribes from Sung.
Such accusations were raised by Sung himself in a note the deceased left.
The former prime minister has stepped down, but continues to deny the allegations against him.
The prosecution has said it will soon indict the former prime minister, along with Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, who is also suspected of receiving illegal political funds from Sung.
Six other people whose names appeared on Sung’s list have already been questioned through letters.
Hong will be the first of the remaining six to be physically summoned.
In an interview with a local newspaper, Sung claimed to have given 200 million won (US$179,700) in illegal political funds in
2012 to Hong, who was then serving as the chief of President Park Geun-hye’s election camp.
The five others on Sung’s bribery list include Yoo Jeong-bok, mayor of Incheon, and Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo, both former lawmakers of the ruling party.
The rest are former presidential chiefs of staff Kim Ki-choon, Huh Tae-yeol and the incumbent chief of staff, Lee Byung-kee. (Yonhap)
