[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered a joint inspection by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department on the 27th to investigate the facts regarding the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's decision to dismiss charges related to the Optimus case two years ago, before the fund redemption suspension incident.
Minister Choo pointed out that although the Korea Communications Agency's investment funds in the Optimus fund were found to have been used as acquisition funds for Sungji Construction through an audit by the Ministry of Science and Technology, leading to a request for investigation, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office at the time dismissed the case without even conducting a basic investigation.
The head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office at that time was Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.
In particular, Minister Choo noted that four months after the dismissal by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office filed charges on suspicion of embezzlement of the said funds.
Minister Choo explained that an inspection is necessary to determine whether the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office conducted a so-called lenient investigation and whether there was any case dismissal due to lobbying by influential figures, including a former Prosecutor General, during this process.
She also emphasized that the chief prosecutor who handled the case at the time was involved in the Prosecutor General confirmation hearing and later moved to a key position in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and that the defense attorney for the case was closely connected to the Prosecutor General.
Minister Choo insisted that the inspection should also verify whether Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, then head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was informed about the handling of the Optimus case.
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