[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol strongly opposed the contents announced by the Ministry of Justice on the 19th regarding the Lime Asset Management investigation, calling it “nothing but slander and false accusations.”
On the same day, the Ministry of Justice stated that it cannot rule out the possibility of (poor investigation) related to allegations that Prosecutor General Yoon was directly involved in selecting prosecutors for the Lime Asset Management case investigation and that he did not thoroughly direct the investigation despite being informed about misconduct involving opposition politicians and prosecutors. The Ministry also said it is reviewing the investigative body and methods separately from the inspection. In response, Prosecutor General Yoon appears to have directly refuted these claims.
As the ruling and opposition parties continue to clash over the appointment of a special prosecutor for this case, circumstances making it difficult to continue entrusting the current investigation team have emerged. This has led to a direct confrontation between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon, and controversy is expected to continue over the selection of the investigative body, including the establishment of a special investigation headquarters.
On the afternoon of the same day, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, through its spokesperson office, stated, “The Prosecutor General repeatedly ordered a thorough investigation into the overall Lime case,” adding, “In particular, regarding the ‘allegations involving opposition politicians,’ after receiving reports on the matter, he ordered a thorough investigation, and the investigation is currently ongoing.”
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office also added, “The selection of prosecutors for the Lime case investigation is basically under the jurisdiction of the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, but in the case of external dispatched prosecutors, decisions were made through consultations among the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, as seen recently in the Optimus case.”
Furthermore, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office strongly opposed the Ministry of Justice’s announcement, stating, “Despite the Prosecutor General’s thorough investigation orders regarding these allegations, the Ministry of Justice’s announcement, which contradicts this, is entirely unfounded and amounts to slander and false accusations against the Prosecutor General, making it completely unacceptable.”
Earlier that day, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the prosecution’s investigation into lobbying allegations involving opposition politicians and prosecutors, exposed by former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun (46, detained and indicted) through a statement from prison, was not properly conducted. The Ministry said it is reviewing the investigative body and methods separately from the inspection.
The Ministry of Justice stated, “From the 16th to the 18th, a direct inspection investigation was conducted on former Chairman Kim regarding the Lime Asset Management case. It was confirmed that despite Kim’s testimony to the prosecution about allegations such as ‘entertainment and bribery misconduct involving prosecutors and investigators’ and ‘billion-won bribery lobbying targeting opposition politicians who are former chief prosecutors,’ as well as ‘misconduct involving ruling party figures,’ the related investigations were not properly conducted.”
The Ministry added, “Although the Prosecutor General was directly involved in selecting prosecutors for the Lime Asset Management case and repeatedly emphasized thorough investigations, there are allegations that despite being informed of specific misconduct involving opposition politicians and prosecutors, he did not order a thorough investigation as he did with ruling party figures. Considering the results of the ongoing inspection and the raised misconduct allegations comprehensively, the investigative body and methods are being reviewed separately from the ongoing inspection.”
On the 16th, former Chairman Kim, identified as a key figure in the ‘Lime scandal,’ revealed lobbying facts involving opposition politicians and active prosecutors through a statement sent to media outlets.
In the statement, Kim claimed that he entertained three active prosecutors, introduced by lawyer A, a former prosecutor who was the lead prosecutor during the investigation of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s death, at a room salon in Cheongdam-dong with about 10 million KRW worth of drinks. During the gathering, A reportedly said, “These are prosecutors who might join the Lime investigation team if it is formed later,” and shortly after, one of them actually became the person in charge of the Lime investigation.
Kim also claimed that he testified during the prosecution’s investigation about lobbying involving a prominent opposition politician, financial sector figures, and prosecutors, but the prosecution did not properly investigate and covered up the case.
Immediately after Kim’s revelations, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae ordered the Ministry of Justice to directly begin an inspection of the prosecutors implicated in the allegations to thoroughly uncover the truth.
Additionally, Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol ordered a swift and thorough investigation into the allegations of prosecutor misconduct related to the Lime Asset Management redemption suspension case the day before.
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