By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
An incumbent lawmaker allegedly hired a man to kill his rival politician ahead of the general election in 2000.
The prosecution recently launched investigations into the allegation that a lawmaker candidate who suddenly died in late 1999 while preparing to run for the election was murdered at the instigation of another politician, who was elected at the poll and has been holding the National Assembly seat.
Prosecutors did not disclose the names of the lawmaker and the dead candidate.
The candidate, who was a local council member, suddenly coughed up blood while sleeping, and died after suffocating in 1999. A doctor at a nearby hospital decided he died from overwork, and police concluded so without an autopsy. The family accepted the decision, as he had no external wounds and he was very busy at that time preparing for the election.
Nine years later, the situation took a turnaround as a prison inmate sent a letter to the bereaved family last March.
In the letter, the inmate introduced himself as a politician who used to work with the lawmaker and the candidate. He said he killed the candidate at the lawmaker's request, and he sent the letter to repent his wrongdoing.
He is currently behind bars after being sentenced to life imprisonment for another murder.
The inmate said the lawmaker asked him to kill the candidate whose approval rate was higher than the lawmaker.
Upon reading the letter, the bereaved family interviewed the alleged killer at the prison several times and filed a petition with the prosecution last month. Since then, the prosecution questioned the family and re-examined the case, but has not found evidence of murder.
The inmate told prosecutors that he tried to kill the candidate upon the request but changed his mind and just punched the candidate on the chest several times. He said he was surprised at the candidate's death the next day. He said he sent the letter after feeling the qualms of conscience for a long time.
The prosecution plans to question the lawmaker soon.