By Kang Seung-woo
Prosecutors summoned former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Thursday, to question him over his possible involvement in corruption allegations linked to his family.
According to the prosecution, Cho appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in the morning and was questioned as a suspect from around 9:35 a.m.
His attendance was not made public in accordance with the prosecution's recent decision to abolish the practice of announcing the summons of suspects ― something that used to allow the media to witness their arrival for questioning ― as part of prosecutorial reform measures.
Cho's questioning comes a month after he stepped down from the ministerial post, Oct.14, 35 days after his inauguration, and 79 days since the prosecution launched a massive investigation into his family, Aug. 27.
Prosecutors have filed 14 charges against his wife Chung Kyung-sim, now in custody, in relation to her daughter's college admissions and her investments in a private equity fund. Cho was not named as an "accomplice" in the indictment, but he was mentioned 11 times.
In that respect, the prosecution's investigation has boiled down to whether Cho was involved in or aware of the alleged irregularities surrounding his wife's financial investments and academic favors given to their daughter.
Chung, a professor at Dongyang University, faces charges of colluding with a relative of her husband and embezzling money linked to a 1 billion won ($854,000) private equity fund. In addition, she is also suspected of buying 600 million won of shares in a Kosdaq-listed firm after obtaining undisclosed (inside) information and of possessing stocks bought under borrowed names.
It was confirmed that Cho sent 50 million won to his wife on the day she bought the stocks of the Kosdaq company. If he is found to have been aware that his wife bought the shares with the money he sent, he may face charges of falsely reporting his assets and violating a law that bans ranking government officials from making direct investments.
The scholarship his daughter received at a medical school at Pusan National University (PNU) was also on the prosecution's radar.
Cho's daughter was awarded a total of 12 million won in scholarships for six straight semesters from the school from 2016 to 2018 despite her poor academic performance, raising speculation that Roh Hwan-jung, who headed PNU Yangsan Hospital at the time, offered her these benefits to seek something in return. Roh later became chief of the state-run Busan Medical Center, while Cho was serving as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs.
If the scholarship is ruled to have been a bribe in exchange for the top post, Cho may face bribery charges.
In addition, investigators quizzed Cho, a law professor at Seoul National University (SNU), on whether he was involved in forging internship certificates from the school's Center for Public Interest and Human Rights Law for their daughter to help her gain an advantage in school admissions.
The investigation into Cho, however, may require more time as he exercised his right not to answer almost all of the questions asked.
Prosecutors may have to summon the former minister several more times before deciding on whether to seek an arrest warrant for him.
Prosecutors summoned former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Thursday, to question him over his possible involvement in corruption allegations linked to his family.
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| Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk leaves the ministry building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 14, after resigning the post amid corruption allegations involving his family. / Yonhap |
His attendance was not made public in accordance with the prosecution's recent decision to abolish the practice of announcing the summons of suspects ― something that used to allow the media to witness their arrival for questioning ― as part of prosecutorial reform measures.
Cho's questioning comes a month after he stepped down from the ministerial post, Oct.14, 35 days after his inauguration, and 79 days since the prosecution launched a massive investigation into his family, Aug. 27.
Prosecutors have filed 14 charges against his wife Chung Kyung-sim, now in custody, in relation to her daughter's college admissions and her investments in a private equity fund. Cho was not named as an "accomplice" in the indictment, but he was mentioned 11 times.
In that respect, the prosecution's investigation has boiled down to whether Cho was involved in or aware of the alleged irregularities surrounding his wife's financial investments and academic favors given to their daughter.
Chung, a professor at Dongyang University, faces charges of colluding with a relative of her husband and embezzling money linked to a 1 billion won ($854,000) private equity fund. In addition, she is also suspected of buying 600 million won of shares in a Kosdaq-listed firm after obtaining undisclosed (inside) information and of possessing stocks bought under borrowed names.
It was confirmed that Cho sent 50 million won to his wife on the day she bought the stocks of the Kosdaq company. If he is found to have been aware that his wife bought the shares with the money he sent, he may face charges of falsely reporting his assets and violating a law that bans ranking government officials from making direct investments.
The scholarship his daughter received at a medical school at Pusan National University (PNU) was also on the prosecution's radar.
Cho's daughter was awarded a total of 12 million won in scholarships for six straight semesters from the school from 2016 to 2018 despite her poor academic performance, raising speculation that Roh Hwan-jung, who headed PNU Yangsan Hospital at the time, offered her these benefits to seek something in return. Roh later became chief of the state-run Busan Medical Center, while Cho was serving as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs.
If the scholarship is ruled to have been a bribe in exchange for the top post, Cho may face bribery charges.
In addition, investigators quizzed Cho, a law professor at Seoul National University (SNU), on whether he was involved in forging internship certificates from the school's Center for Public Interest and Human Rights Law for their daughter to help her gain an advantage in school admissions.
The investigation into Cho, however, may require more time as he exercised his right not to answer almost all of the questions asked.
Prosecutors may have to summon the former minister several more times before deciding on whether to seek an arrest warrant for him.
