"Wasn't the intention to cover it up rather than investigate?" statement also
Seong-yoon Lee, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] In 2019, frontline prosecutors' offices reported to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office about the illegal travel ban on former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, but a Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division official reportedly said they would "act as if they had not received the report," according to court testimony.
Lee Hyun-chul, former head of the Anyang branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (currently chief prosecutor at Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office), testified to this effect on the 15th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Kim Ok-gon) during the trial of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Sung-yoon on charges of abuse of authority.
Prosecutor Lee explained that in 2019, while serving as head of the Anyang branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, he reported to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that there were indications that the travel ban on former Vice Minister Kim was illegally imposed. He said, "Such an important case cannot be resolved at the frontline offices without reporting to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."
During the witness examination that day, when asked by the prosecutor, "Did you receive a phone call the day after sending the report to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division from Kim Hyung-geun, then head of the investigation command section of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division (currently head of Bucheon branch of Incheon District Prosecutors' Office)?" Prosecutor Lee answered, "Yes, I recall speaking with him in the morning."
When the prosecutor further asked, "Did Section Chief Kim say, 'Please resolve this at the Anyang branch level, isn't this something that should be resolved?' and 'We will act as if we did not receive the report'?" Prosecutor Lee replied, "That seems to be the intent. He conveyed the atmosphere of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and said something along those lines."
Prosecutor Lee also questioned, "By acting as if the report was not received and shifting responsibility to the frontline office, wasn't the intention to stop the investigation and cover it up?"
He added, "Telling the Anyang branch to handle it themselves means to cover it up. If the intention was to investigate, they would have said, 'We will approve it, so investigate as you see fit.' It seems the investigation command section chief was conveying the will of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division."
Previously, Jang Jun-hee, chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation as head of the Criminal Division 3 at the Anyang branch, also testified in October last year with the same statements as Prosecutor Lee.
Chief Prosecutor Lee is currently on trial, charged with exerting pressure to obstruct the investigation by the Criminal Division 3 of the Anyang branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in 2019 into the illegal travel ban allegations against former Vice Minister Kim, while he was head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division.
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