The ruling Saenuri Party’s ethics committee on Tuesday rejected the request by former lawmaker Hyun Ki-hwan, implicated in a cash-for-nomination scandal, to reconsider his expulsion, as prosecutors stepped up their probe with the arrest of a suspected middle man.

“The decision by the ethics committee (last week) was made lawfully and the applicant’s request for reconsideration did not qualify,” said committee chairman Rep. Kyung Dae-soo.

Hyun’s expulsion will be finalized at the Supreme Council on Thursday, upon which he will be banned from reentering the party for the next five years.

Hyun has been suspected of receiving 300 million won ($265,000) from Rep. Hyun Young-hee through a couple of party officials in March when he was a member of the party’s nomination committee for the general elections.

The Busan District Prosecutors’ Office late Monday night detained Jo Gi-moon, then the party’s PR official for Busan, on charges of handling 300 million won in cash, possibly including foreign currency, provided by Rep. Hyun to be delivered to Hyun Ki-hwan.

Prosecutors also plan to summon Rep. Hyun Young-hee on Wednesday to grill her over the suspected attempt to bribe Hyun Ki-hwan.

Hyun Ki-hwan will also face summons next week over the scandal that has dealt a blow to presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye, who was head of the party at the time.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)