South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday indicted South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae Myung on charges of corruption and bribery during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, southern Seoul, between 2010 and 2018.
The prosecution has charged the also Democratic Party chairman with breach of duty, conflict of interest, bribery and concealment of illicit income, Yonhap news agency reported.
The opposition leader has reiterated that the indictment was already decided and that prosecutors have only tried to buy time before charging him to use the case for political purposes. He also added that he will do his best to fight for the truth in court.
Prosecutors had already requested an arrest warrant last month against Lee, but the South Korean Parliament rejected the government’s proposal. According to the country’s law, the National Assembly must give its consent to arrest a deputy in full session.
Lee claims he is the victim of political persecution and has denied any involvement in the numerous ongoing investigations related to development projects in Seongnam and the city’s municipal soccer club.
Specifically, prosecutors are investigating irregularities in a development project in Daejang Dong in Seongnam. Prosecutors say the company, an asset management expert, reportedly made 404 billion won (about 300 million euros) in profits from »dubious» deals approved by Lee.
In addition, there is an accusation of leaking labor secrets to private companies so that these companies could obtain extraordinary profits. The politician has also denied that he is involved in several corruption scandals surrounding a local soccer team, Seongnam FC, for which he is facing bribery charges.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
