'Unification Church 100 Million Won Bribery Suspicion' Kwon Seong-dong Arrest Warrant Issued... Special Prosecutor Investigation Gains Momentum

[Financial News] Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, who is suspected of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church, has been arrested.
According to the legal community on the 17th, Judge Nam Se-jin of the Seoul Central District Court, who is in charge of warrants, issued an arrest warrant for Kwon, who is accused of violating the Political Funds Act.
The court explained the reason for the arrest as "there is a concern about evidence destruction." Kwon, who was waiting for the review results at the detention center, will immediately undergo detention procedures.
Kwon is accused of receiving 100 million won in cash at a Chinese restaurant in Yeouido before the 20th presidential election on January 5, 2022, after meeting Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters. It is also understood that Kwon received a proposal from the former head to promote the Unification Church's policies as national policies and to help with various church issues.
In addition, Kwon is also suspected of supporting the Unification Church's issues using national resources such as budgets and government organizations, and of helping to destroy evidence by delivering investigation information on overseas gambling by Hak Ja Han, the president of the Unification Church.
The special prosecutor team led by Kim Geon-hee (Min Jung-gi special prosecutor) requested an arrest warrant for Kwon on the 28th of last month. Subsequently, on the 11th, the National Assembly passed a motion for Kwon's arrest, leading to the arrest review.
Before the review, Kwon met with reporters and expressed his "heartbreaking feelings," saying, "I am reminded of the prosecutorial oppression investigations during the Moon Jae-in administration. The reckless investigation, the poor arrest warrant request, and the entanglement with political power interests are the same as the Moon Jae-in prosecution or the Lee Jae-myung special prosecutor."
He added, "I was innocent then, and I am innocent this time as well. Just as the Moon Jae-in prosecution's investigation was false, the Lee Jae-myung special prosecutor's investigation is also false. Today, I will clarify the facts in court and explain them well."
On the day of the review, three prosecutors, including the head of the investigation team, were involved in the review. They submitted a 160-page opinion in advance. During the review, they argued for the necessity of arrest through a 130-page presentation (PPT). In particular, the special prosecutor team emphasized that Kwon could destroy evidence using his status as a member of the National Assembly by submitting a photo of a Bank of Korea bond stored on the phone of Yoon's wife.
Having secured Kwon's custody, the special prosecutor team is expected to accelerate the investigation into the 'Unification Church solicitation suspicion.' Although Kwon claimed he did not receive illegal political funds from the Unification Church, it seems that the court's initial judgment was not sufficiently explained. As the investigation of Hak Ja Han, the president of the Unification Church, who announced voluntary attendance from the morning, is scheduled, the special prosecutor team plans to continue a strong investigation into the Unification Church through the investigations of the detained former head Yoon and Jeon Seong-bae, the former monk, and Kwon.
Kwon has become the first incumbent member of the 22nd National Assembly to be arrested, bearing the dishonor. The special prosecutor team led by Kim Geon-hee, which succeeded in arresting the first incumbent member among the three special prosecutors, is expected to expand its investigation to other incumbent members such as Yoon Han-hong and Yoon Sang-hyun.

theknight@fnnews.com Jeong Kyung-soo Reporter