Ex-president's wife summoned over bribery case

SEOUL, April 12 (Yonhap) -- The wife of former President Roh Moo-hyun has been questioned over allegations that she had accepted illicit money from a scandal-ridden businessman while her husband was in office, prosecutors said Sunday.

Roh, under pressure, admitted last week that his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had
accepted an unspecified amount of money from one of his financial supporters,
Park Yeon-cha, to repay a debt. Park, who owns a shoe-making company, is at the
heart of a widening bribery scandal.
After being arrested last month on bribery charges, Park told investigators that
he had delivered US$ 1 million to Roh just before he stepped down as president in
late 2007. Roh claims that his wife, not he, received the money.
Prosecutors said the former first lady was questioned on Saturday.
"Mrs. Kown was called in to the prosecution office in Busan and quizzed for 11
hours over whether she had received the money," said Hong Man-pyo, a senior
prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office.
Busan is South Korea's second-largest city on the country's southeast coast and
near a countryside village where Roh has been residing since he left office.
Prosecution officials said they have no plan to re-summon Kwon for investigation
and have yet to decide when or where to summon Roh.
In a related development, Roh's only son, Roh Keon-ho, was questioned by
prosecutors on Sunday on whether he was linked to $5 million the same businessman
transfered to one of his in-laws, Yeon Chul-ho, in 2008.
The businessman is also suspected of bribing several ruling and opposition
lawmakers.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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