Prosecutors to Decide Today on MB's Temporary Release... Discussion at the Sentence Execution Suspension Review Committee

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The decision on the temporary release of former President Lee Myung-bak (81) will be made on the 28th.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office will review the requests for suspension of sentence execution, including that of the former president, at 2 p.m. on the same day. Former President Lee submitted an application for suspension of sentence execution to the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 3rd, citing health deterioration. He is currently serving his sentence at Anyang Prison in Gyeonggi Province. Due to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, he has been repeatedly admitted to and discharged from hospitals during his incarceration. It is known that he has been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital since last year.

Once the review committee decides on the suspension of sentence execution for the former president, the chief prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office will make the final decision, notify the Anyang branch, which has jurisdiction over the location of Anyang Prison, and the Anyang branch will then convey the result to the former president's side. However, since the review committee must also examine other applications besides that of the former president, it is expected that it will take some time before a final conclusion is reached.

The suspension of sentence execution review committee, chaired by the deputy chief prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, consists of 5 to 10 external members from academia, the legal profession, medical field, and civic groups.

Former President Lee was arrested in March 2018 while under investigation by the prosecution on charges including embezzlement and bribery, but was released on bail in March 2019. He continued to stand trial while out on bail until February 2020, when he was re-arrested following a 17-year prison sentence in the second trial. However, he was released again after appealing the bail cancellation decision six days later. In October 2020, after the Supreme Court finalized his sentence, he was incarcerated at Seoul Eastern Detention Center on November 2 of the same year, and was transferred to Anyang Prison following a COVID-19 outbreak at the correctional facility. Earlier, in December 2020, while incarcerated at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, he applied for suspension of sentence execution due to concerns over COVID-19 infection, but the request was denied.