SKorean president-elect cleared of graft

21/02/2008 22:44:34

South Korea's president-elect has been cleared of involvement in a corruption scandal, just days ahead of his inauguration.

Our North Asia correspondent, Shane McLeod, says Lee Myung-Bak is due to be sworn in as South Korea's next president on Monday.

In the final days of the election campaign new claims were raised about his alleged involvement in a share-price fixing scam, with the outgoing president authorising a special probe into the claims.

That investigation has reported its findings.

It says there is no evidence Mr Lee was involved in the scandal.

It is the second report on Mr Lee's role in the affair.

His exoneration clears the way for him to become South Korea's first leader from the conservative side of politics in a decade.

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