Roh silent on bribery allegations: prosecutors

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- Former President Roh Moo-hyun exercised his right to
remain silent on the matter of some US$1 million that his family allegedly
received from a local businessman in a document submitted to the prosecution,
according to investigators on Monday.

A bribery probe into Park Yeon-cha, a businessman who allegedly handed out
billions of won to political heavyweights under the previous Roh administration,
shifted to Roh and his family earlier this month after the former president
admitted that his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had accepted money from Park to repay a
debt.
Prosecutors have also secured testimony from Park, head of shoe manufacturer
Taekwang Industry, that Roh personally asked Park for $1 million in cash and
received it through his aide at the presidential office in June 2007.
On Saturday, investigators received a written statement from Roh that gave his
account of his past dealings with Park. The statement was a response to a
seven-page questionnaire sent by prosecutors who were trying to piece together an
assortment of splintered accounts from Park and the Rohs.
Sources close to the investigation said that Roh delivered a 16-page response on
Saturday but declined to give an answer to a question that specifically asked
where the $1 million supposedly taken from Park was used, citing his right to
remain silent as a suspect in the investigation.
The former first lady, who was questioned by prosecutors earlier this month in
Busan, reportedly stated that her husband had no prior knowledge of the money
that she claimed to have taken from Park. Kwon has also kept mum on how the money
was used.
Investigators suspect that some of the money may have been used to cover living
expenses by Roh Gun-ho, the former president's son who has been studying in the
U.S., given that the funds were handed over in U.S. currency just one day before
the former president left Seoul to visit the United States and Latin America.
Prosecutors, who are scheduled to question Roh in Seoul on Thursday, said they
plan to further question Jung Sang-moon, a former Roh aide recently placed under
arrest for accepting bribes from Park and acting as a middleman for the
transaction between the Rohs and Park.
Jung is accused of embezzling 1.25 billion won (US$930,000) from the coffers of
the presidential office and depositing the money in several bank accounts held
under others' names. Prosecutors were 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 slush funds.
Prosecutors said they were also looking into an allegation that Chun Shin-il,
head of Sejoongnamo Tour Co. and a university alumni of President Lee Myung-bak,
received a large amount of money from Park in return for trying to halt a tax
probe against the indicted businessman.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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