The anti-corruption investigation office has demanded the prosecution indict former Defense Minister Song Young-moo over suspicions of abuse of power, officials said Monday.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has been investigating Song on suspicions of forcing then senior ministry officials to make and endorse documents refuting a media report that he had said a controversial contingency martial law plan authored by the previous Park Geun-hye government "legally had no problem."

The martial law plan was drawn up when Park faced impeachment in 2017.

The CIO confirmed the suspicions against Song and demanded the prosecution indict Song as well as one of his former aides and a former ministry spokesperson on charges of abusing their authority, CIO officials said.

The CIO cannot indict Song on its own, because, by law, it has the power to indict only prosecutors, judges and high-level police officers on corruption charges.

CIO investigators raided the home and office of Song and the defense ministry headquarters in May in connection with the case. (Yonhap)