Tension mounts as opposition seeks to block detention of floor leader


The prosecution on Monday requested a local court to approve the detention of Park Jie-won, floor leader of the largest opposition Democratic United Party, for allegedly receiving kickbacks from the management at ailing savings bank.

The special investigation division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office made the warrant request to the Seoul Central District Court for Park on suspicions that he received more than 100 million won from Lim Suk, chairman of Solomon Savings Bank, in 2008. Lim has been indicted for embezzlement and other charges.

Park is also suspected to have received around 30 million won each from Bohae Savings Bank CEO Oh Mun-cheol and former Bohae Brewery chief Lim Geon-wu, in 2010 and 2011 respectively, to halt Suwon prosecutors’ investigation into the suspended bank.

The investigators have summoned Park three times in the past two weeks but had their requests ignored. Park claimed the prosecution was targeting the opposition for political reasons.

To apprehend him, the court must request the Ministry of Justice to submit a motion to the National Assembly for consent to the arrest, based on the National Assembly Act, which grants lawmakers’ immunity from arrest during session. The submission could be made as early as Thursday to the general session of the parliament to be put to a vote.

If more than half the registered lawmakers agree on the apprehension, the warrant will be issued. After that, the investigators would not need additional approval from the parliament for further prosecution such as arrest and indictment.

Recently, lawmakers failed to agree on the arrest of Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Saenuri Party on similar charges.

The DUP blasted the prosecution saying it would seek to dismantle the central investigation unit for taking politically-motivated cases. The party demanded that the prosecution investigate whether ruling party lawmakers and bigwigs received kickbacks from savings bank management to support Lee Myung-bak in the 2007 presidential race.

“This is obvious persecution of the opposition leader. We demand that Minister of Justice Kwon Jae-jin step down for his consistent cover-up and glossing-over of the discrepancies with the Lee Myung-bak administration,” said Jung Sung-ho, a spokesman for the DUP.

The party is reportedly considering a filibuster to block the submission of the request.

Park’s aides said he is now considering what is best for his party and him.

The ruling Saenuri Party urged Park to report himself to the prosecution before the parliament takes action. The party said its members will participate in the vote, implying that it will seek to have Park apprehended.

“We ask him not to tarnish the honor of the National Assembly. It is the political senior’s role to get hold of a bigger picture in party politics,” said the party chairman Hwang Woo-yea.

The prosecutors have already indicted Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, for allegedly receiving more than 750 million won from Lim and Kim Chan-kyong, chairman of Mirae Mutual Savings Bank, in 2007 in exchange for peddling his influence in having Kim and Lee’s institutions evade state shutdown orders on financially unstable savings banks.
The fund is suspected to have been used to support Lee’s younger brother during the presidential election.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)