Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak gets in a car as he is transferred to a detention centre, at his residence in Seoul, South Korea March 23, 2018. Jung Yeon-je/Pool via Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean former president Lee Myung-bak was detained early on Friday on charges of taking bribes when he was in office, becoming the country’s fourth leader to end up behind bars.

Lee was grilled by prosecutors earlier this month over nearly 20 charges that involve suspicions he took around 11 billion won ($10.28 million) unlawfully from a number of institutions and individuals He denies any wrongdoing.

A South Korean judge issued the arrest warrant late on Thursday, saying Lee could destroy evidence. The former president was driven to a detention center in Seoul soon after midnight.

Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, says the investigation into the bribery allegations is politically motivated by prosecutors under the incumbent liberal administration.

Last year, Lee’s successor ex-president Park Geun-hye was ousted from office after an influence-peddling scandal and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for Park and a Seoul court will deliver a verdict in early April.</s>Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, who held office from 2008 to 2013 and is now 77 years old, was arrested late Thursday night on corruption charges.

The allegations include bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power, breach of the public trust, illegally withholding presidential documents, tax evasion, and election law violations. The charges carry a combined sentence of up to 45 years in prison.

“Prosecutors escorted him from his grace-and-favor residence in Gangnam late Thursday night and transported him to a remand jail on the outskirts of Seoul,” Chosun Ilbo reported.

Lee has clearly been in serious jeopardy from the corruption investigation for some time, but his arrest occurred with surprising speed because prosecutors feared the “destruction of evidence.” Given that the charges against him include illegally retaining official documents, the authorities evidently felt it was important to take him into custody and secure whatever materials were still in his possession.

According to prosecutors, Lee accepted over $10 million in bribes from various sources, including a payoff from Samsung laundered through an American law firm, paid to assist an auto-parts company called DAS that is ostensibly owned by Lee’s older brother. Another charge against Lee accuses him of abusing government power to benefit DAS. A warehouse owned by the company is also said to be the repository for classified government documents that Lee should not possess.

Global electronics giant Samsung figures in a number of South Korean corruption cases, notably including the case against Park Geun-hye, Lee Myung-bak’s successor as president. The head of the Samsung Group, billionaire Jay Y. Lee, was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on bribery charges in April 2017. Lee appealed the sentence, but it seems possible he could end up behind bars for even longer if prosecutors have their way.

In addition to being part of the seismic financial, cultural, and political calamity of the Samsung corruption case, Lee Myung-bak’s arrest is a demoralizing blow to conservatives in South Korea because he is portrayed as putting his own selfish interests above national security. In the most egregious example, Lee appears to have signed a secret deal with the United Arab Emirates that would actually oblige South Korean troops to fight on the UAE’s behalf. The quid pro quo was an $18.6 contract to construct a nuclear power plant in the UAE in 2009.

Another serious national-security allegation is that Lee diverted military cyber resources intended to protect against North Korean hackers and used them to manipulate public opinion in favor of Park Geun-hye during her ultimately successful bid to succeed him as president.

Lee has denied many of the charges against him, but not all. “Rather than blaming others, I feel that I am at fault for everything and I also feel a sense of guilt. I hope that my arrest will ease the pain suffered by those who worked with me as well as their families,” he wrote on Facebook after his arrest warrant was issued.

Lee’s office was considerably less humble and penitent; it released a statement rejecting all charges from the state prosecutors, vowed to “fight with full-fledged effort to get the truth out at court,” and said the former president’s arrest was part of “a state-led political scheme to kill Lee Myung-bak” that has been playing out “since the day the Moon Jae-in government assumed office.”

Lee himself has in the past speculated that current president Moon Jae-in is persecuting him in revenge for the death of an even earlier South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide in 2009 during a corruption investigation. Moon was President Roh’s chief of staff.

“Prosecutors are looking into whether to call in Lee’s wife, Kim Yoon-ok, for questioning about suspicions that she took close to 1 billion won in illicit money from the state intelligence agency and others,” Yonhap News adds.</s>South Korea's former president Lee Myung-bak arrives at the prosecutors office in Seoul, South Korea, March 14, 2018. Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
• Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was detained after being suspected of taking bribes when he was in office.
• Lee faces nearly 20 charges that allege he unlawfully accepted $10.28 million.
• Lee would be the fourth South Korean leader to end up behind bars.

South Korean former president Lee Myung-bak was detained early on Friday on charges of taking bribes when he was in office, becoming the country's fourth leader to end up behind bars.

Lee was grilled by prosecutors earlier this month over nearly 20 charges that involve suspicions he took around 11 billion won ($10.28 million) unlawfully from a number of institutions and individuals. He denies any wrongdoing.

A South Korean judge issued the arrest warrant late on Thursday, saying Lee could destroy evidence. The former president was driven to a detention center in Seoul soon after midnight.

Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, says the investigation into the bribery allegations is politically motivated by prosecutors under the incumbent liberal administration.

Last year, Lee's successor ex-president Park Geun-hye was ousted from office after an influence-peddling scandal and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for Park and a Seoul court will deliver a verdict in early April.</s>A grim-faced Lee Myung-Bak was driven away from his home in southern Seoul for a detention facility late Thursday, becoming the fourth former South Korean president to be arrested on corruption charges.

The district court in the South Korean capital approved a warrant for Myung-Bak’s arrest earlier in the day on the grounds that the 76-year-old former conservative leader could destroy evidence against him, according to local broadcasters.

Mr. Myung-Bak was driven in a black saloon by prosecution authorities to the Seoul Eastern Detention Centre, where he was assigned to a solitary cell, Yonhap news agency reported.

He faces least 12 charges, including bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion, abuse of power and breach of trust, the report added.

“I feel that this is all my fault, and I feel a sense of guilt,’’ Mr. Myung-Bak wrote in a handwritten note posted late Thursday on Facebook.

During his time in office – from 2008 to 2013 – Mr. Myung-Bak is suspected of taking money from the secret service, companies and other organisations to the tune of 11 billion won (10.2 million dollars).

Mr. Myung-Bak is also suspected of using a car parts supplier operated under the name of his elder brother as an illicit secret fund to misappropriate 34.8 billion won for political activities and personal use, according to Yonhap.

If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 45 years in prison, according to Yonhap.

State prosecutors requested the arrest warrant on Monday following five months of investigations that also focused on Myung-Bak’s family and aides.

Mr. Myung-Bak was questioned for 21 hours on March 14 and 15 before being allowed to return home.

He has called the investigations “political revenge” by the current left-leaning socially liberal government.

Park Hye, who succeeded Myung-Bak as president but was impeached in March, is also currently facing charges of corruption.

She is in detention awaiting trial, with a verdict expected in April.

Former president Chun Doo-Hwan and his successor Roh Tae-Woo were sentenced to death in 1996 for rebellion and high treason.

Both were fined heavily for corruption in office. The two were pardoned in 1997 and are still alive.</s>Former South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Is Arrested On Graft Charges

Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has been arrested over a host of corruption allegations, ranging from bribery to embezzlement and tax evasion. Live footage on local media showed Lee submitting to his arrest warrant at home late at night, getting into a black sedan flanked by two law enforcement officers.

"I feel that all is my fault," Lee said in a handwritten statement posted to Facebook shortly after the warrant was issued, "and I feel a sense of guilt."

That said, the 76-year-old conservative politician has denied the charges against him, with Lee rejecting the investigation as "political revenge" mounted by the current administration in office, headed by liberal President Moon Jae-in.

Lee, who led the country from 2008 to 2013, is just the latest high-profile South Korean politician to find himself embroiled in legal woes. His conservative successor, Park Geun-hye, saw her own presidency unravel last year under the weight of a massive graft scandal of her own. She, too, is currently in detention, arrested around this time last year on charges that could spell a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

This is not the first time South Korea has had two of its former leaders "behind bars at the same [time]," as South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports:

Lee, for his part, stands accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from a variety of individuals and organizations — including, according to The Associated Press, his own intelligence agency. Yonhap notes he is also alleged to have embezzled tens of millions more from a private company.

"Other charges include abuse of power, breach of trust, illegally stashing presidential documents and a violation of election law," Yonhap explains.

Chang Je-won, spokesperson for the Liberty Korea Party, the conservative opposition to Moon's government, was on hand at Lee's residence to watch the ex-president being taken away. And he released a statement expressing his party's regret at the development.

"Should living as a former president in this country be this difficult?" he said. "I hope former President Lee will be the last victim of a political revenge."

Prosecutors have 20 days to hold Lee at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center, while they decide whether to slap him with formal charges.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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South Korean former president Lee Myung-bak was detained early on Friday on charges of taking bribes when he was in office, becoming the country's fourth leader to end up behind bars.

SEOUL: South Korean former president Lee Myung-bak was detained early on Friday on charges of taking bribes when he was in office, becoming the country's fourth leader to end up behind bars.

Lee was grilled by prosecutors earlier this month over nearly 20 charges that involve suspicions he took around 11 billion won (US$10.28 million) unlawfully from a number of institutions and individuals He denies any wrongdoing.

A South Korean judge issued the arrest warrant late on Thursday, saying Lee could destroy evidence. The former president was driven to a detention centre in Seoul soon after midnight.

Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, says the investigation into the bribery allegations is politically motivated by prosecutors under the incumbent liberal administration.

Last year, Lee's successor ex-president Park Geun-hye was ousted from office after an influence-peddling scandal and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for Park and a Seoul court will deliver a verdict in early April.</s>March 22 (UPI) -- Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has been issued an arrest warrant after being charged with multiple counts of corruption.

The arrest warrant is the fourth of its kind to be issued to a former South Korean leader, local news service CBS No Cut News reported Thursday.

Lee, 76, faces a dozen charges, including accepting more than $10 million in bribes from Seoul's national intelligence service and powerful corporations, according to Yonhap.

The decision came late Thursday at 11:06 p.m. from Park Beom-seok, a judge with Seoul Central District Court.

Park said the arrest warrant is justified on account of the "seriousness of the crime" and "in the context in which it was investigated."

Lee has also been charged with embezzling more than $32 million that was then allocated to the "DAS" slush fund, according to No Cut News.

South Korean prosecutors submitted a 80,000-page document of evidence and argued in favor of detaining Lee in a 1,000-page statement.

Prosecutors say Lee is the ultimate proprietor of the DAS fund.

For the bribes he received he should receive at least a 11-year prison sentence, prosecutors argued.

Lee defended his legacy as president and former mayor of Seoul on Thursday in a Facebook post, local newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun reported Thursday.

"I tried to pursue clean politics by isolating the wrong practices of the past," Lee said, adding his administration, which came to power the same year as the 2008 global financial crisis, implemented policies that prevented economic recession in South Korea.

Lee said he has "had a hard time" in the past 10 months, and added his family is "suffering" in the wake of the investigations into his case.

The former South Korean leader said "everything is my fault" in the handwritten social media post published on Thursday.</s>South Korean authorities on Thursday arrested former President Lee Myung-bak after a court issued an arrest warrant over corruption.

Prosecutors have accused Lee of taking bribes from an intelligence agency and business groups amounting to a total of 11 billion won (€8.1 million, $10 million). Lee served as South Korea's president from 2008 to 2013.

Prosecutors have alleged that the Samsung Group bought a presidential pardon in 2009 for its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who had been convicted for tax evasion. However, the Samsung leader received a suspended sentence.

He also stands accused of tax evasion and other crimes, including using a private company to create illicit slush funds amounting to 35 billion won. The arrest warrant effectively allows authorities to detain him for up to 20 days before charging him.

Lee is the fourth South Korean president to be arrested. Last year, South Korea's Constitutional Court forced then-President Park Geun-Hye to step down from office following impeachment proceedings. Weeks later, she was arrested on corruption charges.

Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, former army generals who served as president, were jailed in the 1990s on corruption charges. Both were involved in the 1979 military coup and 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean former president Lee Myung-bak was detained early on Friday on charges of taking bribes when he was in office, becoming the country's fourth leader to end up behind bars.

Lee was grilled by prosecutors earlier this month over nearly 20 charges that involve suspicions he took around 11 billion won ($10.28 million) unlawfully from a number of institutions and individuals He denies any wrongdoing.

 A South Korean judge issued the arrest warrant late on Thursday, saying Lee could destroy evidence. The former president was driven to a detention center in Seoul soon after midnight.

 Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, says the investigation into the bribery allegations is politically motivated by prosecutors under the incumbent liberal administration.

 Last year, Lee's successor ex-president Park Geun-hye was ousted from office after an influence-peddling scandal and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for Park and a Seoul court will deliver a verdict in early April.

 

 (Reporting by Christine Kim and Jane Chung; Editing by Andrew Heavens)</s>Seoul, South Korea - A South Korean court on Thursday approved an arrest warrant for ex-President Lee Myung-bak over a range of corruption allegations, making him the latest in a series of leaders embroiled in scandals and other problems after leaving office.

The decision by the Seoul Central District Court means prosecutors can immediately detain Lee for up to 20 days before formally charging him. Prosecution officials are expected to visit Lee's Seoul residence soon to move him to a detention center.

Prosecutors accuse Lee of taking a total of 11 billion won ($10 million) in bribes from his own intelligence agency, business groups and others. They allege he also used a private company as a channel to establish illicit slush funds totaling 35 billion won ($33 million), embezzled its official funds and evaded taxes.

Lee's arrest comes about one year after his conservative successor, Park Geun-hye, was ousted from office and put into jail over a separate corruption scandal that touched off months of massive street protests. Prosecutors have requested a 30-year prison term for Park, and the Seoul court is to issue a ruling on her on April 6.

High-profile corruption scandals often take place in South Korea, Asia's fourth largest economy, which achieved a genuine liberal democracy in the late 1980s following decades of military-backed dictatorships. President after president strengthened anti-graft drives, but saw themselves, families or key aides entangled in bribery scandals at the close of their terms or after leaving office.

Lee has denied most of the allegations against him. He accuses the current liberal government of President Moon Jae-in of trying to retaliate over the 2009 death of Moon's friend, liberal ex-President Roh Moo-hyun, who leapt to his death during a corruption investigation of his family.

Lee's accusation prompted fury from Moon, who called it a challenge to the country's judicial order. Moon previously called the Roh investigation political revenge by the Lee government. Moon served as Roh's chief of staff.

Lee, a former Hyundai executive who led the company's rise during South Korea's rapid economic development from the rubbles of the 1950-53 Korean War, was the country's first president with a business background. Lee's can-do image spawned hopes of an improved economy, but his five-year rule was tainted by rising animosities with North Korea, huge street rallies against imports of U.S. beef and an economy hit by the global financial meltdown.

Other presidents who suffered bad endings include Park's father, Park Chung-hee, a dictator who was gunned down by his spy chief during a 1979 drinking party following an 18-year rule; and his successors Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both ex-army generals who spent time in jail for bribery, treason, munity and other charges after leaving office. Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, both former opposition leaders who fought against the dictatorships, left office in disgrace after their sons and close associates were embroiled in scandals.
Former President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak is detained on charges of taking bribes when he was in office.