Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Saenuri Party was questioned by the prosecution on Thursday on suspicion of receiving a large bribe from the chairman of an ailing savings bank seeking to evade a shutdown order. The money was allegedly paid in exchange for introducing the chairman to Lee Sang-deuk, President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother.

Investigators are trying to verify whether Chung is the missing link in the alleged slush fund created for President Lee Myung-bak during the 2007 presidential election. The probe is expected to expand to other key officials of both the ruling and opposition parties. 

According to the special investigation unit of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Chung was summoned as a witness with the possibility of becoming a suspect.

When asked by the press whether he raised illegal funds for Lee Myung-bak and introduced Solomon Savings Bank Chairman Lim Suk to Lee Sang-deuk before the 2007 election, Chung said, “I will explain everything to the prosecutors.”

Chung is alleged to have pocketed more than 30 million won ($26,000) from Lim through Lee Ho-young, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Chung wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday that he had returned the money right after Lee Ho-young brought it to him. Chung, one of the president’s most trusted aides in the past, said “accidents” took place in between the delivery of the money.

Chung was once regarded as the right-hand man of Lee Myung-bak, and is believed to have contributed to Lee taking the presidency in 2007 with his relatively innovative and fresh image within the conservative party.

However, his cozy relationship with the Lee brothers turned sour when he led about 50 lawmakers to sign a petition urging Lee Sang-deuk to step down from politics to pave the way for his brother’s administration in 2008. The lawmakers also demanded President Lee’s apology for alleged cronyism, which reportedly infuriated the Lee clan. Chung had laid low since.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)