Prosecutor-general briefed on probe into Roh

SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- State prosecutors on Monday briefed the nation's top
prosecutor on the latest details of their probe into the suspected bribery of
former President Roh Moo-hyun and his family by a scandal-ridden businessman,
officials said.
The briefing came as Prosecutor-General Lim Chae-jin was seriously mulling over
whether to seek an arrest warrant for Roh in the alleged bribery case.
What began as an investigation into Park Yeon-cha, the businessman arrested on
charges of offering billions of won in bribes to political heavyweights,
escalated into a high-profile corruption scandal last month when the former
president publicly acknowledged that his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, had accepted money
from Park to repay a debt.
The former president, 62, was questioned by prosecutors last Thursday over
allegations that he was involved in the supposed transaction between his wife and
Park, and as well as other suspicions concerning his former aide and an in-law of
the family. His wife and son have also been interrogated by authorities.
Prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office digging into the widespread
corruption probe met with Prosecutor-General Lim and senior prosecutors in the
afternoon and briefed them on confirmed facts, leads and other findings linking
the Roh family to the bribery scandal.
The investigation team, however, did not offer suggestions on whether to issue an
arrest warrant for Roh, according to officials.
In a separate meeting with his aides earlier on Monday, Lim said that the
prosecution "will reach a rational decision based on (our) independent judgment."
"Independence in the initiation, process and decision of the investigation should
be allowed, while political neutrality should be maintained," said Lim.
The prosecution's decision on whether or not to request an arrest warrant for Roh
is likely to come late this week or early next week, according to officials
involved in the case.
Prosecutors are expected to continue summoning and questioning other alleged
recipients of Park's bribes, who include former and incumbent lawmakers, police
and judiciary officials.
Prosecutors will also continue looking into an allegation that Chun Shin-il, the
head of Sejoongnamo Tour Co. who attended university with 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
(END)