Prosecutors raided the National Assembly Secretariat on Monday as part of an investigation into a cash-for-votes scandal surrounding the main opposition Democratic Party's 2021 leadership election.
Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office conducted the raid to seize the entry and exit logs of some lawmakers and aides, including multiple former staffers to former Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Song Young-gil.
According to prosecutors, Song's campaign is suspected of distributing about 20 cash envelopes, each containing 3 million won (US$2,297), to some 20 DP lawmakers in the run-up to the party's leadership election in May 2021.
Song ultimately won the election and served as DP chairman until March 2022.
It was the second time that prosecutors have raided the secretariat as part of the investigation after the first on June 5. During the first raid, investigators seized the entry logs of people related to the offices of 29 lawmakers.
Since then, prosecutors have additionally requested the entry logs of 10 more people, but the secretariat balked at the request, leading to prosecutors winning a search warrant from a court and conducting the second raid Monday.
Last week, Park Yong-soo, a former aide to Song, was arrested on charges of playing a key role in raising and distributing the cash envelopes. Prosecutors have been looking into whether Song ordered or was at least aware of the bribery campaign.
Song has categorically rejected all allegations against him.
Source: Yonhap News Agency