[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The Ministry of Justice has instructed the prosecution to investigate the truth behind the allegations of collusion between a Channel A reporter from a comprehensive programming channel and the prosecution, which recently surfaced through an MBC report.
According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Ministry of Justice sent an official letter to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office through the Ministry's Inspection Office, ordering an investigation into the MBC report that a Channel A reporter, boasting a close relationship with a senior prosecution official, coercively demanded the former major shareholder of SillaJen, who is currently imprisoned, to provide information on misconduct by Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.
Previously, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reported to the Ministry of Justice that the person on the call in the MBC report was not the chief prosecutor identified in the report, based on the results of a first investigation. It is known that the Ministry of Justice's position is to have the prosecution re-investigate and report the evidence supporting these findings.
Separately from the Ministry of Justice's request for fact-finding, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is said to have sent cooperation letters to MBC and Channel A, requesting the submission of related materials such as audio recordings and video footage.
On the 31st of last month, MBC reported that a reporter from Channel A’s legal team, boasting a close relationship with a chief prosecutor close to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, pressured the former representative of Value Investment Korea, the former major shareholder of SillaJen currently imprisoned at Seoul Southern Detention Center for 'financial fraud,' to provide misconduct information that could be used against Chairman Yoo.
On the 1st, Minister Choo appeared on a radio current affairs program and hinted at the possibility of an inspection related to the report.
Since the chief prosecutor pointed out in the report is denying the fact of the call itself, the scale of the impact caused by this incident is expected to be determined by who is identified as the other party in the call recording that the reporter played for the former representative.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
