A close aide of the late businessman who left behind a bribery list has been arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Park Jun-ho, former executive director of Keangnam Enterprises Inc., was put under arrest while being interrogated at a prosecution office here late Tuesday. He is accused of destroying evidence about his late boss, who allegedly bribed politicians, including Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo.

Sung Wan-jong, the late chairman of Keangnam, hanged himself earlier this month, leaving behind a list of people, mostly close associates of President Park Geun-hye, with won figures next to most of the names. Prosecutors allege these figures represent bribery sums.

Prosecutors arrested the former executive director without a warrant, using the right to detain him temporarily for emergency purposes to head off any further cover-up. They said they will soon seek a formal arrest warrant. 

Park joined Keangnam in 2003 and had since been a close aide to Sung as the company head and a ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker.

He is considered the person with the most knowledge on his former boss' alleged underhanded dealings.

The scandal gave ammunition to the opposition party, which had threatened to impeach the prime minister. Lee gave in and offered to quit a day earlier.

President Park Geun-hye will likely decide on Lee's fate as soon as she returns home from a four-nation tour of South America early next week. (Yonhap)