Kang Ho-dong, the chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, faced an arrest warrant application from the police regarding allegations of receiving over 100 million won in bribes. However, the warrant was rejected at the prosecution stage due to insufficient evidence to substantiate the main charges and a lack of necessity for arrest at this stage.
According to Yonhap News on November 6, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's First Division of Non-Prosecution Review, led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Si-jeon, announced the rejection of the arrest warrants for Chairman Kang and an executive from a partner company, identified as A. This decision came just three days after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's anti-corruption investigation unit submitted the warrant request on November 3.
The prosecution determined that the main charges against the suspects were not sufficiently substantiated to warrant an arrest. They also noted that considering the investigation's duration of over a year and a half and the suspects' attendance at inquiries, the necessity and appropriateness of an arrest were difficult to justify.
The prosecution made this decision after interviewing Chairman Kang the previous afternoon and reviewing the evidence collected by the police.
Kang is accused of receiving bribes exceeding 100 million won from the representative of a service company that conducts transactions with affiliates of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation around January 2024, ahead of the federation's presidential election. The police have been investigating whether the company representative sought business favors by delivering money during a time when Kang was expected to win the election.
The police are also looking into allegations of misappropriation of internal funds. There are suspicions that certain departments within the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation purchased expensive gifts with public funds from 2024 to last year and delivered them to the chairman's and vice chairman's offices.
Additionally, the circumstances surrounding Kang receiving several million won in condolence money during his mother-in-law's funeral last year are under investigation. The police are examining this matter under the Anti-Graft Act, and if a quid pro quo related to his official duties is proven, charges of bribery may also be applicable.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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