Bribery amount increased to 59.2 billion won
By Jung Min-ho
Prosecutors have indicted former President Park Geun-hye on 18 charges, including bribery, as they continue to wrap up a six-month investigation into the major political scandal that removed her from office.
According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Monday, Park has been indicted on charges of colluding with her friend Choi Soon-sil to receive or demand 59.2 billion won ($52 million) in bribes from Samsung, Lotte and SK.
Government officials who demand bribes are subject to prosecution even if they do not actually receive the money, Roh Seung-kwon, the prosecution's spokesman, told reporters during a briefing.
Park has also been charged ― among others with abuse of power and giving state secrets to an unauthorized person ― Choi.
She has become the nation's third former president to stand trial on corruption charges, after Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo.
The prosecution also indicted Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin on charges of giving 7 billion won in bribes to Choi through the K-Sports foundation last year to take advantage of her friendship with Park.
Prosecutors concluded that he did so to recover Lotte's license to operate a duty-free shop in Seoul. The company eventually recovered it, following a decision by the Korea Customs Service.
Shin is the second business tycoon to be indicted in the scandal after Lee Jae-yong, the heir to the Samsung empire.
Lee is already standing trial for offering 43.3 billion won in bribes to Park and Choi. In return, according to the prosecution, the former president ordered the National Pension Service to support a merger of two Samsung units in 2015 _ a crucial decision for Lee to tighten his grip on the group's management.
But SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who was also suspected of bribing Choi, avoided the same fate after prosecutors concluded that he was asked to give money, but refused.
"We found that Lotte offered kickbacks, though it took the money back later. As for SK, we confirmed that Choi asked the company for the same thing, but it refused the request," Roh said.
Woo Byung-woo, the former presidential secretary and one of the key figures in the scandal, has been indicted ― without detention ― on charges of abusing power and neglecting his duty.
One of the most sensational stories about the scandal was a blacklist of artists, which was used to selectively support those who were friendly to the Park administration. Prosecutors concluded that Park conspired with former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon in creating it.
Prosecutors are preparing for a fierce court battle as Park continues to deny all the charges. At the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, prosecutors questioned her over the past two weeks, only to confirm her claims of innocence.
The trial of Park is expected to begin after the May 9 presidential election to minimize the political impact it could have on election campaigns.
A 150-member team with 31 prosecutors questioned Park six times, searched seven places, traced 30 bank accounts and investigated 110 people to clarify suspicions surrounding the scandal.
Meanwhile, more than 30 people have been indicted. But the prosecution failed to receive credit for its accomplishments, while Park Young-soo, the independent counsel who led a special investigation team for three months, took most of it.
Woo, who avoided arrest twice, played a major role in fomenting public distrust. The former prosecutor has become a symbolic figure of corruption within the prosecution, which many people accused of "being too political" and "not trying hard enough in an attempt to hide its own secrets," while questioning him.
By Jung Min-ho
.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
| Former President Park Geun-hye |
According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Monday, Park has been indicted on charges of colluding with her friend Choi Soon-sil to receive or demand 59.2 billion won ($52 million) in bribes from Samsung, Lotte and SK.
Government officials who demand bribes are subject to prosecution even if they do not actually receive the money, Roh Seung-kwon, the prosecution's spokesman, told reporters during a briefing.
Park has also been charged ― among others with abuse of power and giving state secrets to an unauthorized person ― Choi.
She has become the nation's third former president to stand trial on corruption charges, after Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo.
The prosecution also indicted Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin on charges of giving 7 billion won in bribes to Choi through the K-Sports foundation last year to take advantage of her friendship with Park.
Prosecutors concluded that he did so to recover Lotte's license to operate a duty-free shop in Seoul. The company eventually recovered it, following a decision by the Korea Customs Service.
Shin is the second business tycoon to be indicted in the scandal after Lee Jae-yong, the heir to the Samsung empire.
Lee is already standing trial for offering 43.3 billion won in bribes to Park and Choi. In return, according to the prosecution, the former president ordered the National Pension Service to support a merger of two Samsung units in 2015 _ a crucial decision for Lee to tighten his grip on the group's management.
But SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who was also suspected of bribing Choi, avoided the same fate after prosecutors concluded that he was asked to give money, but refused.
"We found that Lotte offered kickbacks, though it took the money back later. As for SK, we confirmed that Choi asked the company for the same thing, but it refused the request," Roh said.
Woo Byung-woo, the former presidential secretary and one of the key figures in the scandal, has been indicted ― without detention ― on charges of abusing power and neglecting his duty.
One of the most sensational stories about the scandal was a blacklist of artists, which was used to selectively support those who were friendly to the Park administration. Prosecutors concluded that Park conspired with former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon in creating it.
Prosecutors are preparing for a fierce court battle as Park continues to deny all the charges. At the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, prosecutors questioned her over the past two weeks, only to confirm her claims of innocence.
The trial of Park is expected to begin after the May 9 presidential election to minimize the political impact it could have on election campaigns.
A 150-member team with 31 prosecutors questioned Park six times, searched seven places, traced 30 bank accounts and investigated 110 people to clarify suspicions surrounding the scandal.
Meanwhile, more than 30 people have been indicted. But the prosecution failed to receive credit for its accomplishments, while Park Young-soo, the independent counsel who led a special investigation team for three months, took most of it.
Woo, who avoided arrest twice, played a major role in fomenting public distrust. The former prosecutor has become a symbolic figure of corruption within the prosecution, which many people accused of "being too political" and "not trying hard enough in an attempt to hide its own secrets," while questioning him.
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