Prosecution question Samsung executive over Choi scandal: Yonhap

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 3, 2016, 17:00 Updated : November 3, 2016, 17:00

[Yonhap News Photo]


Prosecutors on Thursday questioned an executive director at South Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Group over allegations that a close friend of President Park Geun-hye pressured local companies to donate some tens of billions of won to two nonprofit foundations.

Prosecutors said the executive, identified only by his surname Kim, appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to bear witness to suspicions that Choi Soon-sil collaborated with An Chong-bum, former presidential secretary, to push the companies.

There have been allegations that the money at the foundations, Mir and K-Sports, was then unlawfully funneled to Choi, who is at the center of a political scandal that is rocking the country and Park's leadership.

Samsung is the third conglomerate to be investigated over the suspicions after Lotte and SK, among 53 companies from 19 business groups that took part in the donation worth some 80 billion won (US$70 million) in total.

The amount donated by Samsung's affiliates totaled some 20 billion won.

Prosecutors are also looking into allegations that the conglomerate directly gave some 2.8 million euros ($3.1 million) to a German company owned by Choi, under the name of a consulting arrangement.

(Yonhap)
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