South Korea: Special counsel seeks arrest warrant for ex-PPP floor leader in bribery probe

Seoul, Aug 28 (IANS) A South Korean special counsel team on Thursday filed for an arrest warrant for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over his alleged violation of the political fund law.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team filed the request for Kweon, nearly a day after he was questioned as a suspect on charges of having received 100 million won ($72,000) in illegal political funds from a former official of the Unification Church, surnamed Yun, in 2022.

The special counsel team is also investigating an allegation that Kweon had received a shopping bag containing cash from Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

In addition, the team is looking into suspicions that Yun and a shaman close to former First Lady Kim Keon Hee recruited a large number of Unification Church members to support Kweon in the PPP leadership election in March 2023.

Kweon is known to have squarely denied all charges against him.

Upon appearing before the special counsel for questioning on Wednesday, Kweon told reporters he was "innocent" of all allegations raised against him.

By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while the parliament is in session and can only be put under arrest with consent from the National Assembly.

But the privilege came under criticism that it is abused to protect corrupt politicians.

According to the National Assembly Act, lawmakers are mandated to vote on the lifting of immunity from arrest within 72 hours of the submission to the parliamentary plenary session.

The vote can begin 24 hours after the submission, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kweon is a five-term lawmaker who previously served as the PPP's floor leader until June.

Earlier on August 27, Kweon had appeared at a special counsel's office in Seoul to be questioned as a suspect about his alleged violation of the political fund law.

Kweon had arrived at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki at 9.47 a.m., saying that he was innocent of the various suspicions raised by the special counsel team.

--IANS

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