The head of KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, was indicted Thursday along with more than a dozen of company officials for allegedly making illegal political donations in the past, prosecutors said.

KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo and 13 other company executives and managers were charged with violations of political fund laws and embezzlement. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office also indicted the company.

Ku and the company officials are suspected of having purchased commercial gift certificates using company funds before selling them to create a secret slush fund used to offer small-sized donations to politicians.

Ku allegedly provided a total of 14 million won ($11,800) to 13 lawmakers in September 2016.

Hwang Chang-gyu, former KT chairman who was also investigated, however, was cleared of charges.

The indictments came as KT has recently faced massive public outrage for the abrupt disruption of network services that crippled businesses across the country last week. (Yonhap)