A former aide to an opposition lawmaker was arrested Friday to face questioning over allegations that he had been involved in the legislator's creation of illegal political funds, prosecutors said.

Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) is under suspicion of taking illegal funds worth tens of millions of won (tens of thousands of U.S. dollars) from his political aides in exchange for spots on the party's proportional representation ticket, prosecutors said.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office probing the case said it has arrested Cho Gye-ja, a member of the Incheon council who formerly served as the lawmaker's aide, and his accountant, surnamed Jin, to quiz them over their alleged involvement in the funds creation. 

The arrests come just hours after investigators and prosecutors swooped down on six residents and offices of the four former and incumbent executives and the accountant to corroborate the charges.

The NPAD lawmaker, who has been indicted in a separate bribery case, denied the allegation, saying that the funds were used to manage his office in the district. 

The chairman of the National Assembly's education and culture committee was previously indicted on charges of taking 15 million won from the chairman of Seoul Art College in exchange for the same business favor. 

He was additionally indicted for allegedly receiving some 38 million won from an association of private kindergartens in return for proposing a law governing privately run kindergartens, according to prosecutors. (Yonhap)