Korean Job Discussion Forums

[garykasparov]

11-19-2007 17:58

Samsung Denies Bribing Roh�s Former Secretary

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

A former legal secretary for President Roh Moo-hyun alleged Monday that he had returned money he received from Samsung in 2004. However, the nation's largest conglomerate denied that it had given any money to the secretary.

According to 60 NGO groups including the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Lawyers for a Democratic Society Monday, Lee Yong-chul, the former legal affairs secretary, disclosed to them that he received five million won in cash from Lee Kyung-hoon, Samsung Electronics' lawyer, in 2004 as a gift for Lunar New Year's Day.

The cash was contained inside a book sent to the former secretary as a gift. Upon finding the cash, he took photographs of the gift and cash and returned the money to Samsung, he said.

The two had known each other since 1996 as they often met at the court while working as lawyers, but the ``gift'' was offered when he started working at Cheong Wa Dae.

They also said initially the former presidential secretary planned to disclose the ``gift'' upon receiving it, but decided not to do so because it would only lead to the resignation of the lawyer without punishing the key figures orchestrating Samsung's alleged deep-rooted bribery practice.

Lee Yong-chul decided to disclose the bribery this time after discovering that the conglomerate has systematically offered bribes following former Samsung insider Kim Yong-chul's recent revelations of the activities of the Samsung Group, the civic groups claimed.

Kim claimed that the conglomerate regularly provided money to prosecutors, judges, policymakers and taxmen with a slush fund that it had hidden in other people's bank accounts.

The former presidential secretary also submitted to civic groups the pictures that he had taken as evidence, which he thought might be useful.

The civic groups claimed that the evidence backs Kim's argument that Samsung has systematically offered bribes. They also called for a fair investigation into the allegations to root out the illegal practice

A Samsung spokesman said Lee Kyung-hoon is now studying in the U.S. after quitting the company.

[email protected]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/117_14016.html