Misuse of Funds

[Anchor Lead]

New information has come to light revealing that the National Intelligence Service's special activity funds, created using taxpayer money, were provided to the former Park Geun-hye administration. Prosecutors on Tuesday detained two of Park Geun-hye's top three aides, former presidential secretary Ahn Bong-geun and former Administrative Affairs Secretary Lee Jae-man.

[Pkg]

Park Geun-hye's former administrative affairs secretary Lee Jae-man was detained on Tuesday on the charges of improperly receiving special activity funds from the National Intelligence Service.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-man(Fmr. Presidential Secretary) : "(Did you obtain approval for using the NIS special activity funds?) I will do my best to answer all the questions."

An hour later, the prosecutors also apprehended former presidential secretary Ahn Bong-geun. The two were the only figures in the Park Geun-hye corruption scandal who have avoided judicial action. But now they are facing bribery charges. An official from the prosecution said that the past administration is being investigated on the charges of accepting bribes from the National Intelligence Service. Over the past four years, one billion won was provided to the presidential office annually from the NIS, which adds up to four billion won since 2013. The prosecutors have also obtained testimony that the NIS provided special activity funds to the presidential office. The testimony was made by former NIS executive Lee Heon-su, who was in charge of the agency's budget planning over the past four years. Even though disclosing the details of where special activity funds are used is not mandatory, using them for non-official purposes is an act subject to punishment. If Ahn and Lee are arrested on bribery charges, the probe will likely be expanded to officials of higher ranks. Under the current law in this case, misusing the budget without approval from the NIS chief or the president is impossible. Prosecutors have raided the houses of former NIS chiefs Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-ki and Lee Byung-ho. The prosecutors plan to find out how much money was provided to the Park Geun-hye administration in the form of the NIS special activity funds and how the money was delivered. The prosecutors have seized financial documents from the house of former senior presidential secretary for political affairs Cho Yoon-sun. The prosecutors have already found evidence that she had used the NIS funds. More people will likely be held to account in the ongoing probe, as prosecutors are determined to find out every detail.