Crime & Justice

South Korea’s main opposition leader questioned in bribery probe

Seoul, Jan 10 (EFE).- The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, was questioned on Tuesday by the prosecutors’ office over his alleged involvement in a bribery case in a city of which he was mayor between 2010 and 2018.

The prosecution suspect that Lee, now leader of the Democratic Party, is linked to allegations that the government of Seongnam, located south of Seoul, attracted some 17 billion won (about $13.7 million) in corporate donations between 2016 and 2018 to Seongnam FC – a professional football club owned by the city – in exchange for administrative favors, local news agency Yonhap reported.

Among the companies that donated money to the club are internet giant Naver and Doosan Engineering & Construction.

An investigation into the case was opened last year when a top Doosan official was indicted on charges for donating 5.5 billion won to the club in exchange for business favors.

Lee has claimed he is innocent and called the investigation “politically motivated.”

Upon his arrival at the prosecutors’ office in Seongnam on Tuesday, Lee said that investigators had fabricated the possible charges against him and other former city officials.

“There is no way to explain the prosecution’s strange logic other than this is a fabricated and targeted investigation aimed at removing the political enemy,” Lee said. EFE

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