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S.Korean president's former secretary placed under emergency detention for confidante scandal

Xinhua, November 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Jong-beom, former senior policy adviser to South Korean President Park Geun-hye, was placed under an emergency detention on Wednesday evening on alleged charges of being involved in the fund-raising of two nonprofit foundations presumably controlled by Choi Soon-sil, a longtime confidante of President Park.

An has been suspected of pressuring conglomerates into donating tens of millions of U.S. dollars into Mir and K-Sports foundations in support of Choi, considered as a behind-the-scenes heavyweight by using her friendship with President Park.

At about 11:40 p.m. local time, prosecutors urgently arrested An, who stepped down on Sunday as senior presidential secretary on policy coordination and appeared in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning earlier in the day.

The emergency arrest without warrant will enable the prosecution to detain An for as long as 48 hours. Prosecutors are required to request a warrant to formally arrest An.

Prosecutors were quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying An has denied his involvement in alleged wrongdoings and asking others concerned to make false statements in the prosecution.

Given that Choi Soon-sil has been placed under an emergency detention, An will highly likely seek to destroy evidence, the prosecutors' office was quoted as saying. Enditem