Prosecutors to submit written questionnaire to Roh before summons

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, quotes in para 4, 7-8)
SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors investigating a bribery scandal involving
the family and close aides of former President Roh Moo-hyun said Wednesday that
they plan to question Roh through a written interview before summoning him.
"As a courtesy to the former president and to shorten the time for the actual
interrogation, we decided to deliver a written questionnaire on key disputed
areas of the investigation," Hong Man-pyo, head of the Supreme Prosecutors'
Office's investigation planning division, said.
The prosecution will set the summons date for Roh after receiving his response,
preferably by the weekend, Hong said.
An e-mail document of the seven-page questionnaire was sent to Roh through Moon
Jae-in, a confidant and a former chief of staff to Roh, he said. A hard copy was
also sent for hand delivery, also through Moon at Roh's residence in his hometown
of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.
Roh confessed through his Web site that his wife took money from Park Yeon-cha,
head of shoe manufacturer Taekwang Industry, during his five-year presidential
term which ended in February 2008. Park has already been arrested, charged with
offering bribes worth billions of won to key officials who served under the Roh
administration.
Investigators allege Roh's wife, Kwon Yang-sook, and a family in-law accepted at
least US$6 million from Park between 2006 and 2008 and suspect Roh was the
intended recipient of the money.
"We have many questions to ask him. The questions (in the document) were sorted
to fit into how we will proceed with the investigation," Hong said.
The prosecution did not give a specific time frame on when they plan to summon
Roh, but observers say it may be in May, after the April 29 by-elections, to
steer the investigation away from becoming a political issue.
On Tuesday, Jung Sang-moon, a former presidential aide for Roh, was arrested on
charges of embezzling 1.25 billion won from funds from the presidential office
and depositing it in several alias accounts.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Jung embezzled the money to create slush
funds for Roh's personal use and if Roh was involved in the case. Jung denies Roh
was aware of the money.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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