Prosecutors Secure Testimonies on Optimus Lobbying in Political and Business Circles

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] It has been reported that the prosecution has uncovered evidence that Kim Jaehyun, CEO of Optimus Asset Management, who is on trial for a fund fraud worth over 1 trillion won, handed over money and valuables to an executive of the Financial Supervisory Service.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Economic Crime Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jumincheol) recently secured a statement from CEO Kim indicating that he "handed over tens of millions of won in cash to an executive A of the Financial Supervisory Service."

The prosecution also obtained internal documents indicating that several government and ruling party officials were among the beneficiaries of the Optimus fund, and is investigating whether they were actually involved in the formation and management of the Optimus fund.

CEO Kim is accused of raising 1.2 trillion won from 2,900 people between April 2018 and June 2020 by claiming to invest in public institution accounts receivable, creating the Optimus fund, but actually using the funds for purchasing non-performing bonds and Ponzi-like fund operations, causing damage to investors. CEO Kim was indicted last July along with three other associates.

Currently on trial, CEO Kim denies some of the charges. At a trial held last month, Kim's defense attorney argued, "The defendant only clearly recognized that the accounts receivable were false around January 2019," and "Before that, he neither conspired nor participated in the crime."

Meanwhile, the prosecution has continued its investigation even after indicting CEO Kim, sending prosecutors and investigators to the trust business department of Hana Bank, the custodian of the Optimus fund, on the 24th of last month to secure related materials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.