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| ▲ In this file photo, Kang Rae-gu, a Democratic Party official, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul for a hearing on April 21, 2023. (Yonhap) |
bribery scandal-arrest warrant
Court hearing held for arrest warrant on key suspect in election bribery scandal
SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court held a hearing Monday to decide whether to issue an warrant to arrest a key suspect in an election bribery scandal engulfing the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).
It was the second time prosecutors have sought an arrest warrant for Kang Rae-gu, a politician who campaigned for former DP Chairman Song Young-gil ahead of the party's leadership election in 2021, after the first request was rejected last month.
The scandal centers on allegations that Song's campaign officials distributed cash totaling 94 million won (US$71,228) to party members, including some 10-20 lawmakers, to help him get elected as party leader ahead of the party's national convention in May 2021.
Song won party chairmanship at that time.
Kang was accused of collecting about 80 million won of the total and distributing the money in collusion with other campaign officials. Prosecutors also accuse him of taking 3 million won in bribe from a businessman who sought business favors connected to state water agency K-water's power plant facilities.
Amid the scandal, Kang resigned as a member of the audit committee for K-water.
Prosecutors previously sought a warrant for him on April 21, but the Seoul Central District Court rejected the request, citing a lack of evidence.
Prosecutors have since secured fresh circumstantial evidence suggesting key suspects in the case may have changed their mobile phones and tried to destroy evidence, according to sources.
The court is expected to make a decision on Kang's arrest warrant as early as Monday night.
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