Former Chief of Staff Lee Byung-ki, who was prosecuted on charges of obstructing the establishment and activities of the Sewol Special Investigation Committee [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The trial procedures for former high-ranking officials of the Park Geun-hye administration’s Blue House and the old ruling party, who were indicted on charges of obstructing the investigation by the 4·16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Committee (Special Committee), will begin on the 30th.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 31 (Presiding Judge Seongpil Cho) will hold a preparatory hearing in the morning for nine defendants, including former Blue House Chief of Staff Lee Byung-ki, former Policy Coordination Chief Hyun Jeong-taek, and former Political Affairs Chief Hyun Ki-hwan, who were indicted on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of rights.
The preparatory hearing is a process before the formal trial in which the court listens to the prosecution and defense’s plans for presenting evidence and selects necessary evidence and witnesses. The defendants are not obligated to attend and are expected not to appear in court that day.
Lee and others are accused of halting the appointment process of the Special Committee’s Director of Fact-Finding, which was pending Prime Minister’s approval, through the Ministry of Personnel Management in response to the Blue House’s resolution on investigating the Blue House’s whereabouts in November 2015.
During this process, they are also investigated for obstructing the Special Committee’s investigative authority by not dispatching 17 officials from 10 ministries, including all 12 civil servants who needed to be additionally dispatched.
Lee is also charged with forcibly ending the Special Committee’s activities by completely halting discussions on extending its activity period, recalling dispatched civil servants, and withholding budget execution.
Lee and others are also accused of preparing and reporting a document on a ‘Vice Chairman Replacement Plan,’ which included having an administrative officer from the Blue House Maritime Secretary’s office review a plan for dismissal without due process after former Sewol Special Committee Vice Chairman Lee Heon refused to resign.
This case was investigated and brought to trial by the Sewol Special Investigation Unit (Head Im Gwan-hyeok, Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office) launched on November 11 last year. In February, the Special Unit also indicted 11 members of the Coast Guard leadership, including former Coast Guard Commissioner Kim Seok-gyun, without detention for their responsibility in the rescue failure.
The Special Unit continues to investigate other Sewol-related cases, including allegations of surveillance on Sewol victims’ families by the former Defense Security Command (now the Defense Security Support Command), helicopter transfer allegations, and CCTV manipulation allegations announced by the Social Disaster Special Investigation Committee (so-called Special Committee 2nd term).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
