A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was summoned for questioning Tuesday in connection with alleged corruption surrounding a government deal to buy maritime helicopters from an Anglo-Italian company.

Newly retired Adm. Choi Yoon-hee, 62, appeared for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday morning, saying on his way in that he would sincerely answer the questions during the investigation.

Choi, who ended his 42-year military career in October, is suspected of receiving bribes in return for selecting the AW159 Lynx Wildcat as the country’s new maritime helicopter in 2012, according to prosecutors.

The prosecution is investigating whether Choi, who was then Chief of Naval Operations, was involved in the decision to purchase the AW159 Wildcat, which does not meet the required operational capabilities.

After the purchase of the helicopter, it was revealed that Navy fabricated the documents on the AW159’s operational capabilities to help the Anglo-Italian company win the deal in exchange for kickbacks.

So far, seven military officials were indicted on charges of forging documents on the helicopter’s capabilities.

The summons came months after a rear admiral, surnamed Park, who was arrested for fabricating the assessment reports, accused Choi of having instructed him to do so.

The investigators also suspect Choi of taking kickbacks from an arms broker, surnamed Ham. He allegedly gave 20 million won ($17,200) to Choi’s son, who was preparing to open his own business. The son, however, denied the involvement of his father in the transaction, according to prosecutors.

The joint investigation team, comprised of government, military and prosecution officials, was launched in November last year as part of efforts to root out prevalent corruption in the defense industry, as a string of corruption cases came to light over the last year.


By Ock Hyun-ju

(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)