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Former S.Korean PM prosecuted for bribery charge

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo was prosecuted Thursday for bribery charge that had led him to resign as the country's second-highest administrative post.

Lee, who stepped down on April 27, was charged with receiving illegal political funds along with Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, the prosecution office said in a press release.

Lee and Hong were prosecuted without physical detention as they allegedly received 30 million won (27,000 U.S. dollars) in April 2013 and 100 million won in June 2011 respectively from Sung Wan- jong.

Sung, the former ruling party lawmaker and businessman who ran the now-bankrupt construction company, left a brief memo that listed eight heavyweight politicians, including Lee and Hong as well as presidential chiefs of staff alongside currency figures. Sung hanged himself on April 9 after leaving the controversial memo.

The other six politicians including former presidential chiefs of staff Huh Tae-yeol and Kim Ki-choon, current presidential chief of staff Lee Byung-ki, Rep. Hong Moon-jong of the ruling Saenuri Party as well as mayors of Incheon and Busan Yoo Jeong-bok and Seo Byeong-soo were not indicted because of lack of evidence.

Meanwhile, Roh Geon-pyeong, the older brother of the late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, received 500 million won in December 2007 from Sung, but the elder Roh was not indicted as the statute of limitations ran out.

Sung had allegedly asked the elder Roh to exert his influence to get special pardon from the late president at the time when Sung was sentenced to six months in jail with a one-year stay of execution for breach of trust. Enditem