Park can face charges if impeached
Prosecutor’s findings accuse SK leader of wrongdoing
South Korean President Park Geun- hye colluded with a friend to take bribes from Samsung Group aimed at cementing Samsung Chief Jay Y. Lee’s control of the conglomerate, the special prosecutor’s office said on Monday, paving the way for Park to be prosecuted if removed from office.
The findings of the 70- day probe directly accuse the impeached Park of wrongdoing on several charges, including the bribery conspiracy implicating Samsung.
Lee goes on trial for bribery and embezzlement on Thursday amid a corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea and led to the impeachment.
Park, 65, has had her powers suspended since December. Should the Constitutional Court uphold the impeachment, she would become the country’s first democratically elected president to be thrown out of office, triggering an election.
A decision is expected as early as this week.
South Korean law does not allow a sitting president to be indicted unless she is accused of treason. No formal charges can be brought against her until she is either removed from office or her term ends as sched- uled in late February 2018.
“Bribery charges related to the president, and the culture blacklist case ... have been transferred to the prosecutors' office,” special prosecutor Park Young- soo told a televised news conference.
The special prosecutor also said the president was instrumental in blacklisting more than 9,000 artists, authors and movie industry professionals and excluding them from government assistance that constituted an abuse of power.
In a statement detailing the findings of its investigation, the special prosecutor’s office said the National Pension Service voted in favor of a merger of two Samsung Group affiliates in 2015, despite anticipating a 138.8 billion won ($ 119.87 million) loss.
“Samsung Group vice chairman Lee Jae- yong colluded with others including the corporate strategy office chief Choi Geesung to bribe the president and Choi Soon- sil with an aim to receive support for his succession by embezzling corporate funds,” special prosecutor Park Young- soo said, referring to the Samsung chief’s Korean name.