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SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- An executive of a suspended savings bank who had been under investigation over the bank's alleged financial irregularities was found dead on Thursday in another apparent suicide in connection with a massive scandal involving troubled savings banks, a joint probe team said.
The 50-year-old director-level executive of Tomato 2 Savings Bank was found hanged in a building in Gwangju, south of Seoul, by his wife at around 9:20 a.m., the team tasked with the savings banks investigation said.
The man surnamed Cha hinted at his suicide plot in a text message to his wife, but no suicide note has been found, according to the investigators.
The latest death, deemed an apparent suicide, followed another suicide in September by an executive at a different savings bank who jumped to his death at his firm's headquarters while prosecutors searched the building as part of an investigation into lending irregularities.
Prosecutors said the executive surnamed Cha was summoned last month for an interrogation over suspected illegal lending at Tomato Savings Bank, an affiliate of Tomato 2 Savings Bank that he had worked for before moving to his current position. He was called again to reappear for questioning last week but did not show up and did not give prior notice, they said.
"Director Cha was believed to be under severe stress after undergoing a searing interrogation on suspicion of leading illegal loan issuance while he worked for Tomato Savings Bank," an official at Tomato 2 Savings Bank said. "He had been behaving strangely recently and had not shown up for work for the past week."
Tomato Savings Bank's business was suspended in recent months due to lending irregularities and a lack of capital. Several Tomato Savings executives were indicted afterward on charges of incurring losses in their illegitimate business practices.
More than a dozen savings banks have had their operations suspended by the financial regulator so far this year due to illegal lending practices and dark connections between executives and major shareholders.
<한글기사>
토마토2저축銀 임원, 檢수사후 목매 자살
저축은행 비리 수사를 받던 토마토2저축 은행의 차모(50) 상무가 17일 오전 숨진 채 발견됐다.
저축은행 비리 합동수사단에 따르면 차 상무는 이날 오전 9시20분께 경기도 광주 퇴촌면의 한 건물에서 목을 매 숨진 채 부인에 의해 발견됐다.
차 상무는 목을 매기 전 부인에게 자살을 암시하는 문자메시지를 보냈으며 유서는 발견되지 않은 것으로 전해졌다.
이번 저축은행 비리 수사로 저축은행 관계자가 자살한 것은 지난 9월23일 투신해 숨진 제일2상호저축은행 정구행(50) 행장에 이어 이번이 두 번째다.
차 상무는 지난달 토마토저축은행의 부실대출과 관련해 합수단에 참고인 자격으로 소환 조사를 받았으며, 지난주 재소환 요구에 불응한 채 연락을 끊은 상태였다.
합수단 관계자는 "차씨는 현재까지도 참고인 신분이었다"고 말했다.
차 상무는 2009년부터 2년간 토마토2저축은행 행장을 지낸 뒤 토마토저축은행 여신담당 상무로 일해왔으며, 최근 토마토저축은행이 영업정지 된 이후 토마토2저축 은행 상무로 옮겨 근무했던 것으로 알려졌다. 토마토2저축은행은 영업정지된 토마토 저축은행과 달리 정상영업 중이다.
합수단은 지난 2004년부터 최근 영업정지 직전까지 무담보 또는 부실담보 상태에서 법인과 개인 등 차주들에게 2천373억여원을 대출해줘 은행에 대출대환 등을 제 외한 1천633억여원의 손해를 입힌 혐의로 최근 토마토저축은행 최대주주인 신현규(59) 회장을 구속기소하고 남모(46) 전무를 불구속 기소한 바 있다.
토마토2저축은행 관계자는 "차 상무가 토마토저축은행 여신담당 상무로 재직할 때 불법대출을 주도한 혐의로 강도높은 수사를 받아 스트레스가 심했던 것으로 안다 "며 "최근 일주일 간 출근을 하지 않는 등 이상한 낌새가 보였다"고 말했다.
합수단 관계자는 "수사 관계자로서 안타까우며, 현재로선 수사에 지장을 줄지 여부를 말할 단계가 아니다"고 말했다.
