South Korean prosecutors are likely to indict arrested former President Park Geun-hye on Monday over the scandal that led to her fall from power.

“Today’s interrogation of former President Park is likely the last,” a prosecution official told reporters Wednesday. “Indictment is likely around (April) 17th,” he added.


On Wednesday, Park underwent the fifth interrogation session since her arrest on March 31, just 21 days after she was removed from office by the Constitutional Court.

It took place at the detention facility, south of Seoul, where she is being held over charges of bribery, abuse of power and the leaking of government secrets to her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

A key focus of the high-profile investigation has been the allegation that Park colluded with Choi to extort donations from local business groups, including the nation’s largest Samsung Group, for Choi-controlled foundations. The investigators suspect the money to be bribes offered in exchange for favors.

Park fired more than two-thirds of her lawyers earlier this week and is said to be recruiting new ones to prepare for trial.

The probe team is also looking into whether to indict Park’s former aide Woo Byung-woo, before closing the investigation into the Park scandal.

Woo, 50, a former presidential secretary under suspicion of helping irregularities committed by Park and Choi, avoided detention Wednesday as the court dismissed it, saying the evidence was not enough to issue a warrant, a move seen as a major blow to the prosecution.

If indicted, Park will become the first former president here to stand on trial since the imprisonment of two corrupt former military strongmen in the mid-1990s.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)