Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui has been banned from leaving the country amid an ongoing police probe alleging that he received sexual favors from a local contractor in return for business favors, police said Wednesday.

The sex bribery scandal centers around allegations that a number of high-profile figures, such as former and incumbent high-ranking government officials and the head of a hospital, received sex services from about a dozen women hired by the 52-year-old construction contractor, surnamed Yoon.

“We asked the Ministry of Justice to ban Kim from leaving the country last week, and the ministry has accepted our request,” a police officer close to the investigation said. Kim offered to resign in March, following media reports that police had obtained evidence that Kim was one of several influential figures involved in the scandal. (Yonhap News)