South Korean prosecutors have sought court approval to arrest former President Lee Myung-bak over a series of corruption allegations.
The gravity of the allegations and the high risk of Lee destroying evidence were the major reasons behind the request,... which will be reviewed by the court by late Wednesday.
Kim Hyo-sun tells us more.
Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for former President Lee Myung-bak on Monday,... over twelve corruption charges.
Lee,... who served as South Korea's president from 2008 to 2013,... is suspected of receiving around ten million U.S. dollars in bribes.
The prosecution also believe he's the real owner of DAS,... an auto parts company,... which he used as a channel to accumulate illicit slush funds amounting to nearly 30 million dollars.
The arrest warrant request comes five days after Lee was summoned by the prosecution for questioning on March 14th,... over charges of bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion.
The prosecution explained that the arrest warrant was unavoidable,... considering the gravity of the allegations and Lee's continual denial of the allegations,... which could prompt him to destroy evidence.
The court is expected to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant by late Wednesday at the earliest.
If Lee is arrested,... he will become the nation's fourth former president to be arrested on criminal charges.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.