(연합)
일당 5억 원의 ‘황제 노역’으로 논란이 된 허재호 전 대주그룹 회장이 석방 뒤 처음으로 검찰에 출두했다.
28일 오후 1시 30분께 광주지방검찰청사에 허 전 회장은 베이지색 점퍼, 회색 체크무늬의 바지를 입고 전 대주그룹 비서실 관계자 이모 씨와 함께 모습을 드러냈다. 일부 언론에서 공개된 카지노에서의 ‘부호’ 모습으로 비난을 받았던 허 씨는 주로 굳은 모습이였으나 간간히 웃는 모습이 포착되기도 했다.
뉴질랜드에서 호화 생활을 하는 것으로 알려졌던 허 전 회장은 검찰 조사에 앞서 기자들에게 “가족들을 설득해 빠른 시일 안에 벌금을 납부하겠다”고 말했다.
검찰 관계자는 이날 소환이 벌금 집행을 위한 것으로 허 전 회장은 벌금 미납자 신분으로 조사 받을 뿐 아직 피내사자나 피의자로 보기는 어렵다고 말했다.
하지만 허 씨의 외환 관리법 위반, 대주그룹 부도 당사 배임, 재산 국외 도피 등의 가능성을 열어두고 허 씨의 신분은 바뀔 수 있다고 밝혔다.
검찰은 26일 허 씨의 노역장 형집행정지를 결정한 뒤 노역을 중단시키고 석방하면서 허 씨 및 허 씨 가족들의 정확한 재산 관계와 벌금 자진 납부 능력 등에 대해 조사를 강화하겠다고 했다.
코리아헤럴드 석지현 기자 (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)
(연합)
<관련 영문 기사>
Prosecution summons tycoon convict
The prosecution on Friday questioned former Daeju Group chairman Huh Jae-ho, who was publicly criticized for being allowed to pay off massive fines with 50 days of prison labor.
"I will persuade my family to pay the unpaid fines as soon as possible,” Huh, 72, told reporters before entering the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office.
On the same day, the Supreme Court established guidelines for the current labor penalty system amid mounting criticism of Huh, who had exploited legal loopholes to dodge fines.
Under the new guidelines, prisoners with fines between 100 million won and 500 million won are subjected to serve 300 days in working prison facilities, while those with 500 million won to 5 billion won in fines are required to stay at least 500 days. Labor prisoners with a fine of 5 billion won to 10 billion won are to serve 700 days in jail, and those with more than 10 billion won in fines are to face at least 900 days.
The move comes after prosecutors Wednesday withdrew the penalty that would have allowed Huh to pay off the 25.4 billion won fine with 50 days’ labor.
Huh has to pay the remaining 22.4 billion won in fines after deducting six days of prison labor since he returned home from New Zealand, where he lived affluently as a fugitive and had a flourishing business, on Saturday.
The scandal created a media firestorm after it became known that the former tycoon’s labor was valued at about 500 million won per day, about 10,000 times higher than the usual pay of 50,000 won a day for other convicts.
Tax authorities began searching for the tycoon’s assets, alleged to have been gained through borrowed-name accounts and his business in New Zealand.
By Suk Gee-hyun (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)
