Prosecutors to announce interim report on corruption probe into former president's

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors said Sunday they will announce next week
an interim report on the suspected corruption case involving former President Roh
Moo-hyun's brother.
The report on the 34-day investigation will be revealed to the public on Monday,
said an official at the Central Investigation Division at the
Prosecutor-General's Office.
Roh's older brother, Roh Gun-pyeong, was arrested earlier this month on bribery
allegations.
He was suspected of acting as a middleman, helping Park Yeon-cha, chief of shoe
manufacturer and Nike outsourcing firm Taekwang Industry Co., acquire an
affiliate of the state-run conglomerate National Agricultural Cooperative
Federation, or Nonghyup, at a bargain price between 2005 and 2006.
Park, a key financial supporter of former president Roh Moo-hyun, was also
arrested, following the arrest of Roh's brother.
Prosecutors allege that Park has evaded 29 billion won (US$21 million) in capital
gains taxes, pocketing 20 billion won in profits from the troubled brokerage
house, Sejong Securities Co., to its takeover announcement and handing over 2
billion won in bribes to the Nonghyup's chief at that time, Chung Dae-kun.
The probe has been a sharp blow to former President Roh, who while in office
prided himself on eliminating bribery and sought to distance himself from his
predecessors, whose names were tarnished by scandals involving relatives.
Liberals argue the incumbent Lee Myung-bak government may be seeking to score
political points against the ex-president, who still hurls acerbic criticism at
Lee's free market policies and hard-line position on North Korea.
Roh retired to his rural hometown of Bonghwa in South Gyeongsang Province in
February.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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