ID :
59473
Thu, 05/07/2009 - 17:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/59473
The shortlink copeid
Prosecutors search house of President Lee's confidant
(ATTN: UPDATES with details of more searches in para 6-7)
SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Thursday raided the home and office of a
confidant of President Lee Myung-bak over allegations that he may have attempted
to use his influence to deter a tax probe into a private company.
Some 20 investigators from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office searched the residence
of Chun Shin-il, head of Sejoongnamo Tour Co., in Seongbuk-dong, northern Seoul,
as well as two company offices in downtown Seoul early Thursday morning and
confiscated boxes of computer hard disks and accounting books.
Chun, who attended the same college as President Lee, is under suspicion of
having colluded with Park Yeon-cha, the indicted head of shoe manufacturer
Taekwang Industry Co., to try and halt a tax probe into Park's company last year.
Park allegedly bribed former political heavyweights including former President
Roh Moo-hyun.
Chun and Lee are known to be close personal friends with a relationship that goes
back nearly 50 years. Chun is said to have played a key role in Lee's
presidential campaign in 2007.
According to prosecutors, Chun is also suspected of occasionally holding meetings
with Lee Jong-chan, a former aide for civil affairs for President Lee, together
with Kim Jung-bok, former head of the Jungbu Regional Tax Office, over ways to
deter tax investigations into Taekwang Industry.
The prosecutors also searched the private residences of 15 different business
acquaintances of Chun to further obtain and verify information on the businessman
and his company's past dealings and financial transactions.
No politicians or government officials were reported to be among those subject to
the searches. Investigators were expected to summon Chun sometime next week and
question him on the allegations based on their analysis of the confiscated
materials.
In a related move, prosecutors Wednesday raided the Seoul Regional Tax Office,
which was responsible for a tax probe into Taekwang, to search for evidence of
the alleged collusion and whether Park had bribed ranking officials.
The successive raids came as prosecutors dug deeper into a scandal centered on
Park and his connections with former and incumbent high-profile officials.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Thursday raided the home and office of a
confidant of President Lee Myung-bak over allegations that he may have attempted
to use his influence to deter a tax probe into a private company.
Some 20 investigators from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office searched the residence
of Chun Shin-il, head of Sejoongnamo Tour Co., in Seongbuk-dong, northern Seoul,
as well as two company offices in downtown Seoul early Thursday morning and
confiscated boxes of computer hard disks and accounting books.
Chun, who attended the same college as President Lee, is under suspicion of
having colluded with Park Yeon-cha, the indicted head of shoe manufacturer
Taekwang Industry Co., to try and halt a tax probe into Park's company last year.
Park allegedly bribed former political heavyweights including former President
Roh Moo-hyun.
Chun and Lee are known to be close personal friends with a relationship that goes
back nearly 50 years. Chun is said to have played a key role in Lee's
presidential campaign in 2007.
According to prosecutors, Chun is also suspected of occasionally holding meetings
with Lee Jong-chan, a former aide for civil affairs for President Lee, together
with Kim Jung-bok, former head of the Jungbu Regional Tax Office, over ways to
deter tax investigations into Taekwang Industry.
The prosecutors also searched the private residences of 15 different business
acquaintances of Chun to further obtain and verify information on the businessman
and his company's past dealings and financial transactions.
No politicians or government officials were reported to be among those subject to
the searches. Investigators were expected to summon Chun sometime next week and
question him on the allegations based on their analysis of the confiscated
materials.
In a related move, prosecutors Wednesday raided the Seoul Regional Tax Office,
which was responsible for a tax probe into Taekwang, to search for evidence of
the alleged collusion and whether Park had bribed ranking officials.
The successive raids came as prosecutors dug deeper into a scandal centered on
Park and his connections with former and incumbent high-profile officials.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
