(LEAD) Court dismisses arrest warrant for key suspect in 'cash envelope' electioneering scandal

(ATTN: UPDATES with court's dismissal throughout; RECASTS headline)

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Friday dismissed a request for a warrant to arrest a key suspect in the "cash envelope" electioneering scandal engulfing the main opposition Democratic Party.

The scandal centers on allegations that envelopes containing cash totaling 94 million won (US$71,700) were handed out to party members, including some 10-20 lawmakers, to help Song Yong-gil be elected as party leader ahead of the party's national convention in May 2021.

Song won party leadership at the convention.

The Seoul Central District Court rejected the prosecution's arrest warrant request against Kang Rae-gu, a sitting member of the audit committee for the state water agency K-water, who worked for Song's campaign at the time of the convention and now stands accused of collecting about 80 million won of the total from businesspeople and others.

Kang is also suspected of taking a bribe of 3 million won from a businessman who sought business favors connected to K-water's power plant facilities.

"I will faithfully undergo (the hearing)," Kang told reporters ahead of the court session without answering questions on the scandal. "There will be a day sometime when I shall speak."

pbr@yna.co.kr
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