Through Prison Statement, Claims 'Fabricated Investigation'... Prosecution: "Unconfirmed Allegations"
Kim Bong-hyun: "Cooperated with 'Prosecutor's Frame' During Investigation... Decided to Reveal the Truth"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don, Intern Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Kim Bong-hyun (46, detained and indicted), former chairman of Star Mobility and identified as the main culprit in the 'Lime Asset Management scandal,' revealed that he also lobbied opposition figures and entertained active prosecutors. He further stated that the prosecution conducted investigations to reach desired conclusions and that he was threatened through a former prosecutor-turned-lawyer to testify that a specific politician was involved.
In a statement released on the 16th through his lawyer, Kim claimed, "In July last year, through former prosecutor A, I entertained three active prosecutors with alcohol worth about 10 million won," adding, "At the time of the gathering, I was told they were prosecutors who would later join the Lime investigation team, and in fact, one of them did join the investigation team."
He also said, "Former prosecutor A told me, 'The talks with the person responsible for the Lime case at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office are over. If you catch ruling party politicians and Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Kang Ki-jung, after reporting to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, you will be allowed to stand trial on bail.'"
He revealed that there was also a threat that if he did not cooperate, the prosecution amount would be increased and a heavy sentence would be sought.
In particular, Kim claimed that the prosecution induced testimony in a specific direction during the investigation. They conducted a 'tailored investigation' by separately calling important witnesses to coordinate their statements or subtly reminding them of the answers they wanted.
He said, "The prosecutor wrote most of the testimony, shared it online with the person in charge, who then revised it as desired and made me acknowledge it. When I testified differently from the investigating prosecutor during the investigation, they spoke to me informally and shouted," he claimed.
Kim also said he lobbied opposition politicians and disclosed this to the prosecution, but the investigation did not proceed properly.
He added, "I paid tens of millions of won to a prominent opposition politician who is a former chief prosecutor and a lawyer for Lime fund solicitation, and also lobbied the president and vice president of Woori Bank," adding, "Even though I mentioned this during the interview, the investigation did not proceed, and only prominent ruling party politicians were investigated."
The opposition politician accused of being a lobbying target said, "Among the companies that received Lime funds, there is one where I served as an advisor, but it is unrelated to lobbying," and drew a line by saying, "I do not even know Kim Bong-hyun."
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office also stated, "There is no fact confirmed so far regarding corruption allegations against active prosecutors and investigators," adding, "We will promptly ascertain the facts and take necessary measures."
Additionally, Kim appeared as a witness at the trial of Lee Sang-ho, former Democratic Party Busan Saha-eul district committee chairman, held at the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Shin Hyuk-jae) and claimed, "In the prosecution investigation, I testified that I heard from Lee in July 2018 that money was needed to open an election office, but I actually heard that at the end of that year."
This is a reversal of his previous testimony, drawing attention to the background. He said, "In the prosecution investigation, I said Lee told me to 'resolve' when his younger brother suffered a huge loss in stocks, but now I think it was more like 'What should I do?'" adding, "There was confusion because he spoke in a strong Busan dialect."
He also changed his stance regarding the 56 million won he deposited into an account that day. When asked by the prosecutor, "Although the investment was canceled, did you give the money thinking you could receive business help later?" he replied, "I said that in the prosecution investigation, but it was more for personal reasons than business."
When asked by the prosecution, "Did you hear anything from your lawyer or see other materials?" Kim said, "Nothing at all, and after careful thought, I recalled the exact memory."
He claimed, "During the investigation, there was an atmosphere that I had to cooperate with the prosecution, and if things did not proceed according to the frame set by the prosecution, I thought I would be disadvantaged. About 80% of the investigation content was related to politicians, and I received a 'signal' that if I cooperated, they would help me, so I adjusted my testimony accordingly."
He also revealed that after testifying on the 8th at the trial of Lee Kang-se, Star Mobility CEO, that he delivered 50 million won to former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Kang Ki-jung, he decided to give accurate testimony after seeing the enormous social upheaval that followed.
Kim said, "I realized that people's lives could be at stake depending on every word I said," adding, "I was deeply shocked and thought I should tell the exact facts in front of the judge."
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