Growing Optimus Political Lobbying Suspicion... Prosecutors Say "No Real Names of Blue House Officials in Documents"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol Orders Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon to "Conduct Thorough Investigation"
Testimony of Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Providing Bribes Emerges in Lime Trial
Allegations Arise Ahead of Ministry of Justice and Prosecution National Audit... Expected to Burden Minister Choo

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office building where the investigation of the Optimus case is underway.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Circumstantial evidence suggesting that Optimus Asset Management, which is under investigation by the prosecution for a multi-billion won fund fraud scandal, allegedly lobbied the Blue House, ruling party, and financial authorities is gradually emerging.

Amid suspicions that the investigation status by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which has been handling the case, was not properly reported to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, attention is focused on whether the investigation team will accelerate efforts to uncover the truth of the lobbying allegations after Yoon urged Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Sung-yoon to conduct a thorough investigation into the Optimus-related lobbying suspicions.

On the 9th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated regarding some media reports claiming that “documents obtained during the Optimus investigation by the prosecution contained the real names of about 20 Blue House and political figures,” that “although some real names are listed in the documents, the reports that the real names of Blue House and political figures are included are completely untrue.”

However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office acknowledged the fact that the investigation team secured multiple documents, including one titled “Fund Defect Remedy,” which was reported in the media this week and is suspected to be a lobbying list, during the Optimus private equity fund investigation.

Additionally, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said, “We have clearly recorded the background, purpose, and facts related to the document in the suspect interrogation records after questioning those involved, and we are investigating the contents of the document through related investigations, searches, and account tracking.”

Before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office reassigned the Optimus case to the Economic Crime Division last month, the Investigation Division 1 of the same prosecutors' office, which had been investigating the case, reportedly secured an internal countermeasure document listing five Blue House officials and seven to eight members of the Democratic Party during a raid on the Optimus office around June.

Some real names were also listed in the document, but the prosecution's official position is that there were no real names of Blue House officials.

The investigation team also secured a document titled “Fund Defect Remedy” during the search and later received a similar document from Yoon, a lawyer and inside director of Optimus who was indicted as an accomplice in the fund fraud charges.

Written on May 10, this document reportedly contains content indicating that government and ruling party figures participated as project beneficiaries and expresses concerns that if issues arise due to their involvement in fund establishment and operation, it could escalate into a gate (power-related corruption) scandal.

Shortly after this information was disclosed through media reports, on the 7th, Prosecutor General Yoon reportedly instructed Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Sung-yoon to “thoroughly investigate both the financial fraud and lobbying suspicions.”

Meanwhile, in the trial related to Lime Asset Management prosecuted by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, on the 8th, former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun, who appeared as a witness in the embezzlement trial of Star Mobility CEO Lee Kang-se, testified that “in July last year, through CEO Lee, I handed 50 million won to Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House,” causing a stir.

Kang’s side has completely denied the related allegations and stated their intention to “file a criminal complaint for defamation against former Chairman Kim and CEO Lee,” but since this testimony was given in court during a trial where perjury charges can be applied, the prosecution is inevitably compelled to verify the truth of the allegations in some manner.

With the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s Ministry of Justice audit scheduled for next Monday, where opposition party members are expected to launch a fierce attack on Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who was cleared of allegations related to her son’s “failure to return from leave,” the lobbying allegations against the Blue House and ruling party that surfaced just before the audit, along with suspicions of “inadequate investigation” by the prosecution, are expected to pose a significant burden on Minister Choo.

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