Constitutional Court judge considered for prosecutor-general . FEBRUARY 02, 2013 07:26. . A justice on the Constitutional Court is known to have agreed to undergo a background check for possible appointment as the next prosecutor-general after being persuaded by the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae.

Ahn Chang-ho (photo), 56, was phoned by Cheong Chin-young, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, to reconsider after Ahn had earlier rejected a background check including on his assets and military service, according to sources at the ruling Saenuri Party and the Constitutional Court. Cheong Wa Dae got directly involved in efforts to appoint the justice, who has been in office for just four months, as prosecutor-general.

The political and legal circles have different interpretations of President Lee Myung-bak’s intervention in the appointment of the first prosecutor-general of the next administration, though he has just about three weeks left in his term.

Sources in the political circle say Cheong Wa Dae and President-elect Park Geun-hye are using a committee to recommend a candidate for the post to meet the legal formalities, though they have agreed to nominate Ahn.

The first committee for candidate recommendation of the prosecutor-general is supposed to suggest at least three runners from the prosecution. The justice minister then recommends one of the finalists for the president to approve, and is thus the official who appoints a prosecutor-general. The committee reportedly plans to hold a plenary meeting Tuesday to shortlist candidates.

“Lee Dong-heup, a candidate for chief justice of the Constitutional Court, is staggering from a series of allegations about questionable use of taxpayers’ money, so it`s become somewhat difficult that the nomination of a new candidate to be determined through further consultations,” a close aide to the president-elect said.