SEOUL– A state anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into Yoon Seok-youl, a former prosecutor general and one of the leading presidential hopefuls, over abuse of power allegations, legal sources said Thursday.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) booked Yoon on charges of abuse of power last week in connection with two high-profile criminal cases.
The agency received a complaint on Feb. 8 from a civic group, which raised suspicions that the former top prosecutor abused his power to deter an investigation into the massive financial fraud case at Optimus Asset Management.
The company is accused of amassing around 1.2 trillion won (US$1.75 billion) from thousands of investors through fraudulent fund products, only to funnel most of the money into risky assets and cause huge losses to the investors.
The same group reported him again on March 4 on allegations that he interfered with another investigation into prosecutors who were accused of forcing some prison inmates to make false testimonies against former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook in 2011.
Han, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, was imprisoned from 2015-2017 after being convicted of accepting about 900 million won in illegal political funds from a late businessman while in office.
In March, Yoon resigned from the top post at the prosecution service, following yearlong conflicts with the Ministry of Justice over a series of reform measures. Yoon, a political novice, is considered one of the top potential presidential candidates.
Source: Yonhap News Agency