[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] It was recently revealed that former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Kyung-hwan filed a petition for reconsideration with the court, disputing the prosecution's decision not to indict MBC reporters who reported on his alleged involvement with SillaJen.
According to the legal community on the 6th, former Deputy Prime Minister Choi submitted a petition for reconsideration to the Seoul High Court in May, challenging the prosecution's decision not to indict two MBC reporters.
Additionally, on the 3rd, Choi submitted a written opinion to the Criminal Division 30 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Yoon Sung-geun, Jo Gwang-guk, and Jung Soo-jin), which is currently reviewing the petition, urging them to decide to indict the reporters.
In the written opinion, Choi's side reportedly argued that "since a Channel A reporter was recently acquitted of attempted coercion charges, the MBC reporters who initially reported the case should also be held accountable."
A petition for reconsideration is a system where a complainant or accuser who has received a notice from the prosecutor that no indictment will be filed can request a judgment (reconsideration) on the matter from the high court that has jurisdiction over the local prosecutor's office to which the prosecutor belongs.
If the court deems the petition for reconsideration to be without merit and dismisses it, the petitioner can immediately file an appeal; however, if the court finds merit and decides to indict, the prosecutor cannot object.
Earlier, on April 1 of last year, MBC reported claims by Lee Cheol, former CEO of Value Invest Korea (VIK), that "former Deputy Prime Minister Choi, who was Minister of Strategy and Finance in 2014, invested 500 million KRW in SillaJen convertible bonds, and people around him invested 6 billion KRW."
Immediately after the report aired, former Deputy Prime Minister Choi sued Lee and MBC reporters and related parties for defamation, alleging that false information was reported and his reputation was damaged.
The prosecution investigating the case judged that the report was false and indicted Lee on charges of defamation by publication, but decided not to indict the MBC reporters and related parties.
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