Seoul: Prosecutors on Thursday demanded 12 years in prison for former special counsel Park Young-soo on charges of bribery connected to a high-profile property development scandal. Park is accused of taking 800 million won (US$573,000) from private developers in return for helping them win a property development project in the Daejang-dong neighborhood of Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2014-2015.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Park is also charged as one of several prominent figures belonging to the so-called “5 billion club” who were promised or received 5 billion won each from asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, the investor behind the Daejang-dong project. In addition to the prison sentence, prosecutors demanded a fine of 1.6 billion won and a forfeit of 1.75 billion won for Park.

Park is best known as the special counsel who investigated a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment and ouster of then President Park Geun-hye in 2017.