Dozens of politicians and lawmakers involved in illegal fundraising during the 2002 presidential election have been granted amnesty on the 60th anniversary of Liberation Day, which falls on Aug. 15.

In a Cabinet meeting, the government decided to grant pardons to some 4.22 million people, including politicians. This is the fourth largest number of people who have been granted amnesty: 7 million in 1995, 5.5 million in 1998 and 4.8 million in 2002.

``We granted the large-scale amnesty to encourage the momentum to national unity along with the 60th anniversary of Liberation Day and to provide those pardoned with a chance to participate in the new public order,’’ a Justice Ministry official said.

Those granted the amnesty include former Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) chairman Chyung Dai-chul. Chyung served as chief campaigner for Roh Moo-hyun, who was elected president on the ticket of the MDP in 2002. Chyung, who was sentenced to five years in jail in January last year for receiving some 900 million won of slush funds from businesses, has been hospitalized since May for illness.

The pardon list also includes Kim Jong-pil, former leader of the United Liberal Democrats; Lee Han-dong, former prime minister; Suh Young-hoon, former MDP chairman; Kim Young-eil, former Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker; and Seo Jeong-woo, former lawyer for the GNP’s presidential campaign headquarters.

Former President Kim Dae-jung’s two sons _ Hong-up and Hong-gul _ who have served prison terms for accepting bribes will also be pardoned.

But Kim Hyun-chul, son of former President Kim Young-sam, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for taking slush funds, was exempted from the list, because his case is pending at an appellate court.

Former GNP lawmaker Suh Chung-won, who was sentenced to three years of a suspended jail term and 1.2 billion won of fines for taking illegal political funds, was also excluded from the list, as he has not paid his fines yet, the ministry said.

President Roh’s aides involved in illegal fundraising such as Ahn Hee-jung, Yeo Taek-soo, and Choi Do-sul were also excluded from the amnesty.

However, civic groups and law experts criticized that pardoning politicians involved in illegal fundraising is an abuse of the president’s right to grant amnesty. They claimed granting amnesty to politicians, whose jail terms have not expired, especially Chyung who has served only one third of his term, will weaken public order.

Besides politicians, the amnesty was granted to some 12,000 criminals who committed crimes due to poverty such as theft, and to some 1,900 people who violated the national security law, and to about 1,000 inmates who behaved well in prison.