[THE INVESTOR] The probe into Lotte Group is set to engulf the civil and military services as the investigators close in on a retired Air Force general on suspicion of bribery.

According to reports, the investigators have uncovered a money trail leading from Lotte Group to a retired Air Force lieutenant general who served as the deputy chief of staff.

Lotte Group is suspected of having handed 1.2 billion won ($1 million) to a construction firm headed by the retired general in 2008. The investigators suspect that the money may have been used to bribe military and government officials to help with the construction permit for Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul.

The tower, still under construction, was at first opposed by the military, which argued that the tower would hinder aircrafts’ movement from Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Despite controversy, Lotte Group was given the go-ahead in early 2009.

The project had been on hold from the early 1990s to late 2000s due to resistance from the military. The project was approved during the Lee Myung-bak administration, with Lotte Group footing the bill to turn the angle of Seoul Airport’s eastern runway by 3 degrees.

“For the safety of aircrafts taking off and landing in Seoul Airport, the right thing to do was to build a new runway,” an official with the investigation team told local media.

“However, Lotte benefited from the decision to turn the angle of the existing runway.”

The prosecution, however, is stopping short of launching an investigation into irregularities in the approval process, saying that there is insufficient evidence.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)