Counsel finds Park colluded in bribery, artists blacklist
2024-09-22 20:26:46 [新闻中心] 来源:Anhui News
The independent counsel Monday said that President Park Geun-hye received bribes from Samsung Group in a scheme involving nonprofit foundations set up by her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
“Park, in collusion with Choi, received bribes and illicit solicitation for her support of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong’s succession process,” special counsel Park Young-soo told a news conference to announce the results of his investigation.
The counsel’s team -- the largest in South Korean history -- wrapped up its 70-day investigation into President Park on Feb. 28, handing its findings to state prosecutors.
It has indicted a total of 30, including Choi, Lee, and some of Park’s former aides.
The counsel booked President Park as a criminal suspect, but did not take any further action, as the sitting president has immunity to criminal liability.
Independent counsel Park Young-soo speaks during a press conference at the special prosecutor's office in Seoul on Monday, to announce the results of its 90-day investigation of President Park Geun-hye, her confidante and aides. (Yonhap)
The presidential office protested immediately, calling the findings a work of “imagination” and questioning the political neutrality of the special counsel. Samsung denied any bribery.
The connection of President Park, Choi and Samsung has been the focal point of the team’s sweeping investigation into the scandal, which has consumed Korea since October and led to the president’s impeachment by the parliament.
The probe concluded that the president helped Choi found the Mir and K Sports foundations and collaborated with her to extort 77.4 billion won ($65 million) from conglomerates, including Samsung, in the name of donations. Both entities are suspected to be covers for channeling money to Choi.
The counsel said part of the money given by Samsung should be seen as bribes, as they were offered with the purpose of winning Park’s support for a disputed merger between two group affiliates -- Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.
The merger, seen as a step designed to help Samsung’s heir apparent tighten his control of the group, was given crucial support by the National Pension Service, a major C&T shareholder, which voted in favor of the deal despite opposition from minor shareholders.
Lee is in detention awaiting trial, along with four other Samsung executives.
The counsel also said the Park administration’s blacklisting of cultural figures was “a systematic crime” conducted under the instruction of the president herself.
Seven have been indicted in relation to the list, which was used to discriminate against artists and cultural entities deemed unfavorable to the conservative president. They include former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun.
The multifaceted probe had also looked into the admissions fraud surrounding Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra, President Park’s secret medical treatment from unauthorized doctors as well as her use of a borrowed-name phone, among others.
The counsel had sought to extend the probe period to investigate several remaining suspicions but was not granted an extension by acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.
The special counsel’s team will not dissolve at least for a few months in order to lead the trials of those indicted.
The public prosecution said Monday that their investigators will pick up where the counsel has left off.
Lee Yeong-ryeol, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, will once again lead a team of 33 designated state prosecutors, which had initiated the probe into Park’s scandal before the appointment of the independent counsel last December.
Key subjects of their investigation include Park’s former presidential senior adviser for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo as well as local conglomerates SK and Lotte, which the counsel had failed to properly investigate.
By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)
“Park, in collusion with Choi, received bribes and illicit solicitation for her support of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong’s succession process,” special counsel Park Young-soo told a news conference to announce the results of his investigation.
The counsel’s team -- the largest in South Korean history -- wrapped up its 70-day investigation into President Park on Feb. 28, handing its findings to state prosecutors.
It has indicted a total of 30, including Choi, Lee, and some of Park’s former aides.
The counsel booked President Park as a criminal suspect, but did not take any further action, as the sitting president has immunity to criminal liability.
The presidential office protested immediately, calling the findings a work of “imagination” and questioning the political neutrality of the special counsel. Samsung denied any bribery.
The connection of President Park, Choi and Samsung has been the focal point of the team’s sweeping investigation into the scandal, which has consumed Korea since October and led to the president’s impeachment by the parliament.
The probe concluded that the president helped Choi found the Mir and K Sports foundations and collaborated with her to extort 77.4 billion won ($65 million) from conglomerates, including Samsung, in the name of donations. Both entities are suspected to be covers for channeling money to Choi.
The counsel said part of the money given by Samsung should be seen as bribes, as they were offered with the purpose of winning Park’s support for a disputed merger between two group affiliates -- Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.
The merger, seen as a step designed to help Samsung’s heir apparent tighten his control of the group, was given crucial support by the National Pension Service, a major C&T shareholder, which voted in favor of the deal despite opposition from minor shareholders.
Lee is in detention awaiting trial, along with four other Samsung executives.
The counsel also said the Park administration’s blacklisting of cultural figures was “a systematic crime” conducted under the instruction of the president herself.
Seven have been indicted in relation to the list, which was used to discriminate against artists and cultural entities deemed unfavorable to the conservative president. They include former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun.
The multifaceted probe had also looked into the admissions fraud surrounding Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra, President Park’s secret medical treatment from unauthorized doctors as well as her use of a borrowed-name phone, among others.
The counsel had sought to extend the probe period to investigate several remaining suspicions but was not granted an extension by acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.
The special counsel’s team will not dissolve at least for a few months in order to lead the trials of those indicted.
The public prosecution said Monday that their investigators will pick up where the counsel has left off.
Lee Yeong-ryeol, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, will once again lead a team of 33 designated state prosecutors, which had initiated the probe into Park’s scandal before the appointment of the independent counsel last December.
Key subjects of their investigation include Park’s former presidential senior adviser for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo as well as local conglomerates SK and Lotte, which the counsel had failed to properly investigate.
By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)
(责任编辑:资讯)
推荐文章
-
Kenneth Dillon ,August 1, 2024 Pragmocracy ...[详细]
-
Best Buy Drop of the day: Move quickly and snag the Shark FlexStyle for $249.99
UPDATE: Feb. 9, 2024, 11:50 a.m. EST Best Buy's Drop for Feb. 9 is a $249.99 Shark FlexStyle ($50 of ...[详细] -
North Korean media blames Seoul for slow progress on Panmunjom Declaration
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in proclaim the "Panmumjo ...[详细] -
Google Photos: New feature may feed your friends weekly updates
Finally, a way to blast photos of your weekly lunches at all your friends and family.Android Authori ...[详细] -
24 Museums Dedicated to Black History
TheNational Museum of African American History and Culture opened in Washington, D.C., in 2016. It q ...[详细] -
'Steve' is a new kind of aurora, discovered by citizen scientists
"Steve" may be ordinary as it comes with aurora names, but one called exactly that certainly has an ...[详细] -
What are possible steps to ease North Korean sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-h ...[详细] -
Very professional business dog even has his own ID card
Joey the dog is ready for a day at the office.The rescue chihuahua mix, whose owner is Redditor Poll ...[详细] -
Benedict Nguyễn ,July 24, 2024 Game PlanHo ...[详细]
-
购买二手房时,如何进行选择并非一件简单的事情,购房者要综合考虑各种因素,仔细对二手房进行查看。近期,准备在自己单位附近购买一套二手房的市民许先生,致电“城市·楼市”周刊热线2351315,询问选择二手 ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
- 21 Unexpected Wonders in Colorado’s Vibrant Cities and Small Towns
- Why did NK change its policy toward South Korea?
- This alarm clock wants to wake you up with an orgasm
- Tesla Model Y refresh might not be happening this year
- 抖音超600万次传播量!广东省农事运动会乡村直播大赛火出圈
- “硬着头皮干” 在“造血期”不停步
- Tesla Model Y refresh might not be happening this year