VOA常速英语2007年-South Korea's President to Approve Fraud Invest

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
26 December 2007

The office of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says he will not prevent an independent counsel investigation¹ of the man elected to replace him next year. Experts say the probe into possible fraud by president-elect Lee Myung-bak may hurt his ability to form a government. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

South Korea's presidential Blue House issued a statement Wednesday saying President Roh Moo-hyun's Cabinet has approved a measure to investigate president-elect Lee Myung-bak on fraud allegations. The move is a prelude² to Mr. Roh signing the bill into law.

Lee's conservative Grand National Party had asked President Roh to veto the probe into allegations he engaged in fraud using a U.S. business partnership³ called "BBK."

State prosecutors⁴ cleared him of criminal accusations⁵ earlier this month. However, new doubts have surfaced in connection with a video showing Lee talking about his role in founding BBK - an apparent contradiction of Lee's statements saying he had no connection to the firm. Wednesday's Blue House statement says those doubts should be resolved.

Lee won the presidency⁶ last week by a decisive double-digit margin⁷ and is to take office February 25.

Hahm Sung-deuk, professor of political economy at Korea University in Seoul, says Mr. Roh's approval of the investigation gives Lee an unwelcome distinction.

 

"President-elect Lee Myung Bak will be the first Korean president-elect to face a crimes investigation," said Hahm.

A sitting South Korean president enjoys immunity⁸ from criminal prosecution⁹. However, as president-elect, Lee now faces the possibility the probe will produce charges before the inauguration¹⁰ - when he is not protected. Experts widely agree that is very unlikely to happen.

Still, Professor Hahm says the investigation will still have an effect.

"All the scandals... will undermine his ability as a president-elect to prepare his government, and therefore undermine his ability to govern the country as a president," said Hahm.

Hahm says because Lee's party does not have a majority in South Korea's legislature, the allegations against him could limit his ability to gain lawmakers' approval for his choices of Cabinet officials.

They could also limit Lee's effectiveness in carrying out the ambitious economic reforms he promised during the campaign. The political cost of that might be seen in major legislative¹¹ elections scheduled for April.

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

9 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

10 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

11 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。