The magazine Sisa Journal reported Monday that Jung Wonju, chief of staff to Hak Ja Han, the church's matriarch, and a vice president of Cheonmuwon -- the church's supreme decision-making body -- told prosecutors that political gifts and contributions had been made under Han's direction.
Prosecutors are treating that testimony as a crucial link between illicit payments and the church's highest authority.
On Tuesday, JoongAng Ilbo reported that investigators are probing whether church members were mobilized to support Kim Gi-hyeon in his successful 2023 bid for the leadership of the conservative People Power Party.
The allegations involve direct violations of election and anti-graft laws. If substantiated, Han and her closest aides, Jung, and former senior church executive, Yoon Young-ho, could face criminal liability.
Yoon is alleged to have delivered luxury gifts -- including a Chanel handbag and a Graff diamond necklace -- to Kim Keon-hee, the former first lady of South Korea.
The trio face possible indictment under several statutes. The Political Funds Act criminalizes illegal donations with penalties of up to five years in prison. The Public Official Election Act bars third-party donations to campaigns with prison terms of up to seven years.
South Korea's anti-graft law prohibits offering valuables to public officials or their spouses and carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and fines up to 30 million won, or about $21,500.
Further charges could be brought under the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. If prosecutors prove that church assets worth more than 50 billion won were diverted for illegal political use, additional penalties can be applied from a minimum of five years up to life imprisonment.
The People Power Party has resisted prosecutors' attempts to seize internal records. In late July, investigators tried to search its headquarters, but were denied access, according to the Hankyoreh and NoCut News. Party leaders have denied that the church played any role in its elections.
The Sisa Journal said investigators are now seeking to determine whether the scandal was a matter of individual misconduct, as church spokespersons claim, or "a top-down directive."
If prosecutors establish that Han and her aides ordered and financed illegal political activity, the case could result in prison sentences and confiscation of assets.