South Korea indicts opposition leader Lee over property graft
The Hindu
Lee Jae-myung, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, faces several charges, including bribery, corruption, breach of trust and conflicts of interests, during his tenure as a mayor of Seongnam.
South Korean prosecutors indicted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on March 22 on corruption charges in a $1 billion property development scandal dating to his previous stint as a mayor, the Yonhap news agency said.
Mr. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, who lost to President Yoon Suk Yeol in last year's election, faces several charges, including bribery, corruption, breach of trust and conflicts of interests, Yonhap said.
Prosecutors have sought to arrest him after an 18-month investigation into the 1.5 trillion won ($1.15 billion) construction project. Parliament, where Mr. Lee's party holds a majority, voted down a motion last month to waive immunity granted to lawmakers.
Prosecutors have said Mr. Lee colluded with a group of private property developers when he was mayor of Seongnam, just south of Seoul, to help them rake in more than 800 billion won ($611.5 million) from the project, while inflicting losses of nearly 490 million won on the city.
He was also accused of receiving or demanding more than 18 billion won from four companies in bribes to bankroll a financially strapped pro football club based in the city in return for administrative favours.
Prosecutors also indicted Jeong Jin-sang, one of Mr. Lee's closest aides, who was arrested in November over the scandal, as his accomplice, Yonhap said.
Calls to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office went unanswered.