By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Prosecutors have begun to trace the unreported wealth of former President Roh Moo-hyun and his wife prior to summoning the former presidential couple for questioning sometime this month.
A prosecutor refused to confirm when the Roh couple will be summoned for investigation, Wednesday, but hinted that a search was underway to uncover the total assets of the presidential couple. It was premature to say when the two will be questioned, he added.
He said Roh's apology statement made Tuesday does not reveal how much money the former President received from Taekwang CEO Park Yeon-cha ― one of his biggest supporters ― and when he received it. ``We are looking closely at the statement Roh issued on his Web site,'' he added.
Another source hinted that Roh received a ``large amount of money'' from multiple corporations in 2003 just before he took the oath of office as head of state. ``He hid the `congratulatory money' in the accounts of the Taekwang CEO and laundered the money,'' the source said. If this is confirmed, the investigation might be widened to include corporate donors, he indicated.
Roh and his wife Kwon Yang-sook would become the first former presidential couple to face investigation on suspicions of bribery-taking and influence peddling if they are summoned by the prosecution. The probe comes at a sensitive time, as it is just weeks ahead of parliamentary by-elections to be held April 28.
Roh admitted Tuesday that his wife borrowed an unspecified amount of money to repay a debt, but did not specify when they received it or other details. It is estimated to be around one billion won, according to the prosecution.
The excuse of debt repayment, however, is questionable as in the mandatory public officials' asset reports during his presidency from 2003 and 2008, Roh failed to report any debts or the ``loan'' from Park. This has raised suspicions that either the former President's excuse was ``wrong,'' or he deliberately omitted mentioning them in the assets report.
If Roh took the money during his presidency, the couple could be charged with bribery, and Kwon with influence peddling. The prosecution will check whether any special treatment was given to Taekwang during the presidential term.
The ``borrowed'' money is allegedly part of the tens of billions of won of congratulatory money that Park managed for Roh in Taekwang accounts.
Roh's confession came hours after his former secretary Chung Sang-moon was detained for accepting bribes from Park. Roh claimed that Chung borrowed the money from Park at the request of Kwon, saying the charges should be laid against him and his wife, not Chung.
However, prosecutors found that Chung received an additional 300 million won from Park, separate from the one billion won for Kwon. They sought an arrest warrant for Chung on charges of bribery, and will now investigate further the allegations involving the Roh family.
Chung allegedly introduced Park to Yeon Cheol-ho, the husband of Roh's niece. Park offered $5 million to Yeon through a foreign bank in February 2008, weeks before Roh's five-year presidency ended. The money was from the account or APC, a paper company Park set up in Hong Kong.
Roh's son is also implicated in taking the $5 million as he allegedly accompanied Yeon when he visited Park to ask for the money. Prosecutors suspect that Yeon's claim that the money was an investment into his business was false, and will soon question him over whether the money was actually a ``gift'' for Roh.
The prosecution will also investigate the allegation that Chung, Park and Changshin Textile Chairman Kang Keum-won discussed the establishment of a foundation for the retired head of state. About a month after the meeting in August 2007, Kang set up a company for the development of Roh's hometown with seven billion won he siphoned off from his firm.