South Korean police raided the headquarters of the cultlike Unification Church on Monday and named its leader as a suspect in the bribery of several high-profile politicians.
The church, known for its mass weddings, is at the centre of a mounting scandal in South Korea over alleged payments to lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties.
Prosecutors raided the church’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday as well as the imposing countryside residence of leader Han Hak-ja, who is already on trial for allegedly offering bribes to the former first lady.
The Unification Church said that it had “no comment” on the raid.
However, its president said last week the church felt “deeply responsible for having caused concern to the public” and acknowledged “its failure to detect misconduct within the organisation at an early stage”.
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