For the news had catapulted beyond charges of misconduct in political office, misuse of public funds, bribe-taking, and dealmaking into far more serious criminal charges of statutory rape, sexual assault upon a minor, abduction of a minor, and conspiracy to commit these crimes.
Police officials say that some of the cash was used to create a slush fund to bribe doctors, hospitals and government officials.
Stealing public funds, accepting bribes, using the power of office to persecute personal enemies these are felonies that should force someone out of politics.
Jennings's allegations, followed up by Panorama and the Sunday Times, are a catalogue of slush funds, kickbacks, bribes and favouritism.
On Monday, Mr. Kim detailed his allegations, saying that Samsung had set up a 200 billion won ($215 million) slush fund to bribe influential figures.
GSK is accused of using a £320m fund to bribe doctors and hospital officials with cash and prostitutes in order to sell its products.
With Samaras desperate to avoid implementing further belt-tightening, insiders said the government could draw funds from bribes and bank accounts confiscated from corrupt officials.
In the indictments last week of Mr. Lee at Samsung, prosecutors dropped the most damaging part of their investigation — whether he had a slush fund to bribe government officials — for lack of evidence.
Siemens itself, however, is expected to announce lawsuits Tuesday against both executives, contending that they failed to detect and clean up the network of slush funds and bribes, a person briefed on the matter said.
Nigerian, French and US agencies are investigating allegations that TSKJ set up a $180m£100m0m) slush fund to bribe officials and secure a contract to build an $4bn liquefied natural gas plant in 1995.
