THE leader of one of the country’s largest cult-like churches is accused of bribing a former first lady with gifts including a designer handbag and a diamond necklace.
The September arrest of leader Han Hak-ja rocked the Unification Church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide and controls a sprawling business empire.
The 82-year-old defendant, known to her followers as “holy mother”, also faces graft charges over cash payments to a lawmaker linked to disgraced president Yoon Suk Yeol.
Han’s defence team denied that any bribery took place, insisting the gifts were arranged by a former church official acting independently and without her knowledge, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency reported.
Prosecutors rejected the claim, saying Han’s alleged offence was “extremely egregious”.
They said church members had donated to the organisation despite their financial hardship, only for the funds to be used for “bail payments and illicit political ties”, according to Yonhap.
In August, Han told her followers in a video message: “I have never ordered any unlawful political request or monetary transaction.”
Han took over leadership of the Unification Church after the death of her husband Moon Sun-myung, who founded the assembly in 1954 after he was rejected by mainstream Protestant churches.
The church rose to global prominence in the 1970s and 80s, becoming known for mass weddings of its followers, who were called “Moonies”.
Over the decades, it amassed a business empire that spans construction, food, education and the media, including the ownership of Washington Times and Sunmoon University.
But it also came under repeated scrutiny over how it obtained financial donations from members and its links to politicians.
In Seoul, Han will have to answer allegations that she gave luxury goods worth around 82 million won (RM231,266) to Yoon’s wife Kim, herself under arrest over charges of bribery and stock-market manipulation.
Han is also suspected of having conspired to bribe a People’s Party politician in 2022 to seek favour with Yoon, who went on to win the presidency that year.
Prosecutors believe she had directed more than 2,000 church members to sign up for Yoon’s People Power Party ahead of a party convention to influence its outcome. — AFP
