Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for key lobbyist for troubled savings bank

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant Tuesday for a lobbyist at the center of a corruption scandal involving a troubled savings bank on charges of taking a large amount of money from the bank in exchange for promises to help it avoid a suspension.
Park Tae-gyu, 71, is suspected of taking more than 1 billion won (US$931,098) from the corruption-ridden Busan Savings Bank with promises that he will lobby senior officials and politicians so that the lender could avoid a suspension of operations.
Park, who fled to Canada in April, returned home Sunday and has since been under custody. He decided to voluntarily return home after hearing that the Canadian immigration was considering deporting him to Seoul, sources said.
Prosecutors plan to focus their investigation on finding out whom Park contacted during his lobbying attempts as well as on suspicions that he bribed politicians and government officials.
Park is said to have close relations with ranking politicians.


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