On the morning of the 17th, the prosecution's investigation into former chairman Kim Seong-tae, who arrived at Incheon International Airport, began.
It's been a week since he was arrested in Thailand.
Former Chairman Kim entered the underground parking lot of the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office building in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, in a prosecutor's convoy at around 10:45 am today.
He was arrested by prosecutors shortly after boarding a national plane at Bangkok Airport, Thailand this morning.
The plane boarded by former Chairman Kim took off at around 1:25 am local time and arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 8:24 am today.
After being sent to the prosecution, he is questioned as a suspect in the investigation room on the 15th floor where the District Prosecutor's Office's 6th Detective Division (chief prosecutor Kim Young-nam) is located.
After entering the country, he denied to the reporters, "I don't know (CEO Lee). No lawyer fees went
to this representative" regarding the suspicion of paying attorney fees for Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party .
At the same time, he added, "I will diligently participate in the prosecution's investigation," and "everything will be revealed at the prosecution."
The suspicion of paying attorney fees for CEO Lee is that the Ssangbangwool side paid 2 billion won in convertible bonds and 300 million won in cash instead of attorney fees in charge of Lee’s violation of the Public Official Election Act in 2018. party) and other civic groups raised suspicions and then filed charges.
Initially, in a media interview, former Chairman Kim mobilized dozens of Ssangbangwool Group executives and employees for business rights for economic cooperation with North Korea and mobilized 6.4 million dollars (approximately 7.2 billion won at the exchange rate at the time) to a North Korean figure. ', but it is known that this was also denied during the entry process.
Prosecutors plan to focus on the investigation to prove the need for former Chairman Kim's arrest and then request a warrant from the court.
It is highly likely that a warrant will be issued as former Chairman Kim has fled for a long time to avoid the investigation.
Prosecutors are expected to conduct a full-scale investigation later.
Former Chairman Kim is accused of leading various corruptions surrounding the Ssangbangwool Group, including charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, violation of the Capital Markets Act, bribery, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.
Previously, former chairman Kim left for Singapore at the end of May last year ahead of the prosecution's seizure and search, and then moved to Thailand and continued his overseas escape for eight months.
At around 7:30 pm (5:30 pm local time) on the 10th, at a golf course in Pathum Thani, Thailand, Yang Seon-gil, the current president of Ssangbangul, was caught by the Thailand Immigration Bureau arrest team.
Immediately after his arrest, former chairman Kim, who denied illegal stay and was expected to file a lawsuit for refusal of extradition, announced his intention to return voluntarily in two days and went through the entry procedure.