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Justice minister's cousin arrested in widening corruption scandal

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Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Yonhap
Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Yonhap

By Park Si-soo

A court issued an arrest warrant for the cousin of scandal-struck Justice Minister Cho Kuk on Monday night as part of a widening probe into corruption allegations surrounding the minister's family.


Judge Im Min-sung of the Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant, saying the suspect's detention was needed to "prevent him from fleeing or tampering with evidence."

The cousin -- the first arrested member of Cho's family -- is at the center of allegations about suspicious investments in a private equity fund by Cho's family members.

The fund invested most of the money from the Cho family in Wealth C&T, a local lamppost switch manufacturer, two months after Cho became the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs in 2017. The company's sales soared after the investment thanks to massive orders from government offices.

Cho's wife is also involved. Prosecutors are looking into whether she unjustly intervened in the investment process and whether there were irregularities in the fund investment. The justice minister has claimed that his family was not aware of the companies in which the fund invested and a nephew's role in the private equity firm.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, the prosecution is investigating allegations that Cho's wife fabricated a university award to help their daughter enter medical school.

Cho, who has denied most claims against his family, has pledged not to intervene in the probe into his family and ordered the prosecution to conduct the probe in a fair and strict manner.

"Disadvantages will not be given to prosecutors (investigating the case) as long as they do not infringe on the spirit of the Constitution or the law," he said Monday.

In South Korea, the justice minister oversees the prosecution in terms of human resources and administration.




Park Si-soo pss@koreatimes.co.kr


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