The prosecution investigating the 'Ssangbangwool Group North Korea remittance' case conducted a search and seizure on the residence of former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young and the detention room at Suwon Detention Center where he is incarcerated on the 23rd. The prosecution also carried out an additional search and seizure at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office following the previous day.
The Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) searched two residences of former Deputy Governor Lee, located in the metropolitan area, and the detention room at Suwon Detention Center where he is held on charges of bribery and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.
The day before, the prosecution had conducted a comprehensive search and seizure at about ten locations including the northern and southern Gyeonggi Provincial Government offices where former Deputy Governor Lee worked, the Economic Deputy Governor's office (formerly the Peace Deputy Governor's office), the Secretary's office, the Peace Cooperation Bureau, the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, the residence of former Peace Cooperation Bureau Chief Shin Myung-seop, and KINTEX; however, the residences and detention room of former Deputy Governor Lee were not included in the targets of that search.
Meanwhile, continuing from the previous day, the prosecution again searched the Economic Deputy Governor's office, the Administrative First Deputy Governor's office, the Communication and Cooperation Division, and the Planning Officer's office at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government. The prosecution stated that this additional search was to secure digital evidence that was not obtained the day before.
Former Deputy Governor Lee, who was arrested and indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from Ssangbangwool Group, is suspected of requesting former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae to make a payment of 5 million dollars for Gyeonggi Province's smart farm project to North Korea on behalf of the province.
When indicting former Chairman Kim, the prosecution named former Deputy Governor Lee as an accomplice in violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act (illegal currency export) in the indictment.
The prosecution suspects that former Deputy Governor Lee requested former Chairman Kim with the intention that "if the smart farm payment is not made to North Korea, future inter-Korean projects by Gyeonggi Province will become difficult, so Ssangbangwool Group should support the smart farm costs to North Korea on behalf of Gyeonggi Province."
Former Deputy Governor Lee, who was summoned for a second prosecution investigation the previous day on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, is reported to still deny the allegations against him.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
