Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday he believes the prosecution will uncover the truth over suspicions that former President Lee Myung-bak was the real owner of a car parts company linked to a financial firm at the center of a scandal that dogged his 2007 campaign.

The prime minister made the remark during a parliamentary meeting amid rekindled suspicions that the car parts firm, DAS, is actually owned by the former president, even though his eldest brother has officially been listed as its owner.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (Yonhap)
"I think there is a cause for suspicion," Lee said in response to a lawmaker's claim that many people believe DAS belonged to the former president.

After the lawmaker called for uncovering the truth, Lee said he believes the "prosecution will do so." Otherwise, Lee said, the prosecution under the government of President Moon Jae-in will be considered no different from the prosecution of previous administrations.

DAS was one of the biggest investors in the investment firm BBK founded by Korean-American businessman Kim Kyoung-joon. Kim was accused of rigging the stock price of a subsidiary of BBK, pocketed millions of dollars in ill-gotten profits and embezzled hundreds of billions of won in company money in the early 2000s.

Ahead of the 2007 presidential election, Lee had been dogged by allegations that he was the real owner of BBK and DAS, and therefore responsible for the share price rigging. Prosecutors at the time looked into the allegations and found no evidence backing such suspicions.

But suspicions have been rekindled recently following revelations that Lee's son was named the head of several DAS factories based in China, even though he has no share in the company. (Yonhap)