Two ex-presidential aides detained over bribery
Two former presidential secretaries have been detained by the prosecution over allegations they received bribes from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that Ahn Bong-geun and Lee Jae-man — known as the closest aides of former President Park Geun-hye — have been detained for allegedly taking 4 billion won ($3.6 million) from the spy agency when she was in office.
On the same day, prosecutors searched the homes and offices of three former NIS chiefs — Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byeong-ho and Lee Byung-kee — and Cho Yoon-sun, former presidential secretary and culture minister, for their roles in the alleged crime.
All the suspects have been banned from leaving the country.
The prosecution will soon request an arrest warrant for Ahn and Lee Jae-man and question the others.
The prosecution suspects the two received about 1 billion won from the NIS every year between 2013 and 2016 while working at Cheong Wa Dae.
This was from the NIS’s special activity budget, also known as the “black budget,” which spy agents can use for classified operations without having to leave any records.
It is less clear whether they kept the money for themselves or handed it over to their boss, former president Park. If the latter is the case, it will drive the former president further into a corner.
The two refused to answer ques- tions from reporters as they entered the prosecutors’ office in southern Seoul for questioning.
A prosecution official said investigators consider it a “bribery case” because the two took money as government officials. If they are found guilty of that charge, they might have to spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Lee Hun-soo, a former senior NIS official, reportedly admitted the spy agency gave the money to the two during questioning about his involvement in the NIS’s political interference under the two previous right-wing governments.