Prosecution to reinvestigate illegal surveillance scandal

Prosecution to reinvestigate illegal surveillance scandal

By Kim Rahn The prosecution said Friday it will reinvestigate the administration’s alleged illegal surveillance of citizens, following an allegation that Cheong Wa Dae was involved and attempted to cover it up. A special team of four prosecutors was formed at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office Friday, and will summon Chang Jin-soo, a former ethics official at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), who made the allegation Tuesday. The reinvestigation comes as suspicions circulate following Chang’s accusation that the presidential office orchestrated the surveillance and the cover-up of evidence. In its initial probe in 2010, the prosecution didn’t find any link between the PMO workers and Cheong Wa Dae. “We concluded Chang’s testimony could be evidence of a link if his claims are true, so we’ll question him,” a prosecutor at the Seoul office said in a briefing. “After questioning him, we’ll decide whether to summon other related figures, including former Cheong Wa Dae staffer Choi Jong-seok who allegedly ordered Chang to destroy evidence.” The prosecution team will focus on whether the presidential office attempted to cover up the surveillance scandal, but the probe may be widened to review the entire illegal surveillance case. The reinvestigation could be a politically sensitive issue ahead of the parliamentary elections on April 11; but the prosecution said it will proceed with the probe as the case is drawing keen public attention. “We’ll try to verify the truth as soon as possible,” the prosecutor said. The surveillance scandal dates back to 2010 when businessman Kim Jong-ik claimed the PMO monitored him, raided his office and examined his bank accounts in 2008 after he posted video clips critical of President Lee Myung-bak. Several ruling party lawmakers also claimed they and their family members were monitored, too. At that time, the prosecution ended its probe, only indicting seven lower-ranking officials including Chang, who was sentenced to eight months in prison with the term suspended for two years. But Chang recently revealed the presidential office’s alleged involvement — two days before July 7 in 2010 when the prosecution raided his office, Choi ordered him to destroy computers of PMO staffers who were in charge of the surveillance. “Choi said he wouldn’t mind if I smashed the computers with a hammer or dumped them in the Han River, adding the presidential office and the prosecution had already agreed on how to fix things,” he claimed.