By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Prosecutors requested judges Friday to give former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook a five-year-prison term for having allegedly taken $50,000 in bribes to use her influence to help a businessman get a position at a state firm while she was in office. They also called for her to be fined 46 million won, the equivalent of the $50,000 they say she received.
The prosecution claimed that she received two envelopes containing cash from Kwak Young-wook, the CEO of Korea Express, during a meeting in the dining room of her residence on Dec. 20, 2006. They have called for Kwak to be imprisoned for three-and-a-half years.
Han claimed she had neither seen nor received the envelopes. She had answered a limited number of questions to protest prosecutors' leaking of suspicions to the press before confirmation.
Han is the first former Prime Minister to have reenacted an alleged crime scene at her former office last month. Involving her charges, main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Chung Se-kyun and former Construction and Transportation Minister Kang Dong-seok were called in to the prosecutors' office for questioning as witnesses.
Han is planning to run for Seoul Mayor on June 2 and is one of the strongest candidates.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
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