Prosecution Conducts Search and Seizure Related to Former Yongsan Tax Office Chief in 'Minister Choo Mi-ae Investigation Command' Case... Full-Scale Investigation Begins

Allegations of Cover-up in Yoon Dae-jin's Older Brother Case... Seizure and Search at Central Regional Tax Office and Yeongdeungpo Tax Office
Case That Ruling Party Lawmakers Insisted "Has No Relation to Prosecutor General Yoon" During the Confirmation Hearing a Year Ago

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (left) and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The prosecution has launched a full-scale investigation by conducting a search and seizure related to the ‘former Yongsan Tax Office chief bribery case cover-up suspicion,’ one of the five cases in which Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae recently excluded Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s investigative authority through investigative directives.

On the 19th, Minister Choo instructed through an investigative directive, “Regarding the former Yongsan Tax Office chief bribery case involving close associates of Prosecutor General Yoon and the related suspicion of covering up the case by dismissing search and seizure warrants and non-prosecution, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office investigation team shall conduct an independent investigation without supervision or direction from higher authorities such as the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and report only the results to the Prosecutor General.”

Prosecutor General Yoon’s close associates include Yoon Dae-jin, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (Chief Prosecutor), who is known to be very close to Yoon to the extent of being called ‘DaeYoon’ (Great Yoon) and ‘SoYoon’ (Small Yoon). The former Yongsan Tax Office chief is Yoon Woo-jin, the elder brother of Deputy Director Yoon.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Seo Jeong-min) conducted a search and seizure on the 29th at the Central Regional Tax Office and Yeongdeungpo Tax Office. The Yeongdeungpo Tax Office is where former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon worked as the chief in 2010.

A prosecution official stated, “The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office executed search and seizure warrants today at the Central Regional Tax Office and Yeongdeungpo Tax Office in relation to the case involving the former tax office chief.”

Former Tax Office chief Yoon was under police investigation in 2013 on charges of receiving bribes such as golf from meat importers but was arrested overseas and forcibly repatriated. However, he was cleared of charges.

At that time, the prosecution rejected six search and seizure warrants requested by the police for the golf course where former Tax Office chief Yoon played golf with meat importers. Controversy arose over allegations that Prosecutor General Yoon, who was then the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Criminal Investigation Division 1, introduced lawyer Lee Nam-seok, a former member of the Criminal Investigation Division, to former Tax Office chief Yoon.

Earlier, Prosecutor General Yoon stated after his confirmation hearing in July last year that he did not introduce the lawyer Lee.

Meanwhile, at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s National Assembly inspection held on the 22nd, Rep. Jang Je-won of the People Power Party drew attention by playing a video in which ruling party lawmakers explained during Yoon’s confirmation hearing that the allegations were ‘unrelated to Prosecutor General Yoon.’

At that time, Rep. Jang asked the members of the Judiciary Committee from both ruling and opposition parties, “This incident broke out around 11:40 during the confirmation hearing, do you all remember?”

He said, “It has been proven that (Prosecutor General Yoon) did not introduce the lawyer. Who proved this? It was Rep. Song Ki-heon (Democratic Party),” and played the video from the confirmation hearing.

In the video, Rep. Song said, “The former Tax Office chief Yoon case is a typical targeted investigation. It is one of the worst types of recognition investigations. Former Tax Office chief Yoon has nothing to do with the witness. The witness said, ‘Why do you keep asking about something unrelated to me?’”

Rep. Jang then played a video of Rep. Kim Jong-min from the same party. In the video, Rep. Kim said, “There is the former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon case. I have looked at the materials about ten times,” and said, “It has nothing to do with candidate Yoon Seok-yeol...”