Police Investigation Review Committee Held on the 22nd Decides as Follows
Officer A in Charge of the Case Faces Neglect of Duty Charges
Former Vice Minister Lee Charged with Evidence Tampering Instruction
Taxi Driver B Sent to Prosecution for Evidence Tampering Allegations
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have decided not to prosecute the head and team leader of the criminal division at the Seoul Seocho Police Station, who were in charge of the case at the time, regarding the alleged cover-up of the taxi driver assault incident involving former Vice Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu. Officer A, who was in charge of the case, has been referred for prosecution on charges of dereliction of duty.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 22nd that the Police Investigation Review Committee held a meeting regarding the investigation results of the former Vice Minister of Justice’s taxi driver assault case, and made this decision. The Seoul Police stated, "As a result of the review by the Investigation Review Committee on whether to refer the team leader and head of the Seocho Police Station for prosecution on charges of dereliction of duty, it was decided not to prosecute," adding, "The specific details of the review and the voting results will not be disclosed."
The review committee consisted of a total of 11 members, including 8 external members?three law professors, two legal professionals, two investigation experts, and one public figure?and 3 internal members, including the chairman.
Furthermore, according to the results of the Police Investigation Review Committee, the fact-finding investigation team decided to refer Officer A, who was in charge of the case, for prosecution on charges of dereliction of duty; former Vice Minister Lee was referred for prosecution on charges of instructing evidence destruction, and taxi driver B was referred for prosecution on charges of evidence destruction.
Meanwhile, it was announced that the police chief, head, and team leader at the time of the incident are scheduled to undergo an internal investigation regarding their responsibilities for failure to report and negligence in command and supervision.
Vice Minister Lee is accused of assaulting a taxi driver by grabbing his collar after arriving drunk in front of his home in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on November 6 of last year, three weeks before his appointment as Vice Minister of Justice. He is also accused of visiting the taxi driver two days after the incident and requesting the deletion of the taxi’s black box footage.
Vice Minister Lee expressed his intention to resign on the 28th of last month, about six months after his appointment, and the Blue House accepted his resignation on the 3rd of this month.
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