[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae has been reported to the prosecution on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and fraud.
On the 22nd, the civic group Freedom Citizens in Action held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and stated, "Minister Choo used political funds for her daughter and son dozens of times," adding, "If the funds were raised with the intention of using donations for purposes other than legitimate ones and spent unrelated to political funds, it constitutes not only a violation of the Political Funds Act but also fraud." They submitted a complaint to the prosecution.
Earlier, lawmakers from the People Power Party raised suspicions that Minister Choo spent about 2.5 million won in donations at a restaurant operated by her daughter 21 times from November 2014 to August 2015 while she was a member of the National Assembly. There were also allegations that she spent political funds at a restaurant near the training center on the day of her son Seo's completion ceremony.
According to the Political Funds Act, donations cannot be used for household support or assistance purposes, and violating this can result in imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 4 million won.
The group demanded, "We urge a proactive and swift investigation to thoroughly uncover the criminal acts and, if the charges are confirmed, to impose severe punishment commensurate with the crimes."
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