A prosecutor is under investigation for making illegal deals with a defendant in a drug case, raising concerns of corruption by law enforcement officials.

A Supreme Prosecutors’ Office internal audit team suspects a prosecutor to have given favors to a 32-year-old celebrity identified only by her surname Lee. She was sentenced by a prosecutor to eight months in prison for illegal propofol use in 2012.

After serving her sentence, Lee reportedly had plastic surgery free of charge and received 15 million won ($14,000) in damages for unexpected side effects incurred from an earlier procedure.

According to prosecutors, Lee had asked the prosecutor overseeing her case to pressure the plastic surgeon who had prescribed propofol to Lee. Lee told the prosecutor that the surgeon was ignoring her demands to take responsibility for her side effects.

The surgeon had also been investigated regarding illegal drug use in connection with Lee’s 2012 propofol case.

Authorities will attempt to expose any possible under-the-table dealings between the prosecutor and Lee, and see if the prosecutor had exerted unlawful pressure on the surgeon on Lee’s behalf.

(hj257@heraldcorp.com)