[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The prosecution has refiled an arrest warrant for Kim Bong-hyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility, who has been identified as a key figure in the Lime Asset Management scandal involving a redemption suspension worth about 1.6 trillion won.
On the 12th, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had refiled an arrest warrant against former Chairman Kim on charges including fraud on the 7th.
This comes about two weeks after the court dismissed the arrest warrant on the 20th of last month. On the morning of the 12th, the Seoul Southern District Court also conducted a pre-arrest suspect hearing (warrant substantive examination) for former Chairman Kim.
The prosecution explained the reason for refiling, stating, "There are sufficient grounds for detention and the necessity of detention." The decision on whether to detain former Chairman Kim is expected to be announced as early as late afternoon on the same day.
Earlier, the prosecution filed a pre-arrest warrant on the 14th of last month on charges of deceiving about 350 people by promising principal and returns on investments in unlisted stocks between 2017 and 2018, embezzling about 9 billion won.
In response, Judge Hong Jin-pyo, in charge of warrants at the Seoul Southern District Court, dismissed the warrant, stating, "Although the charges are serious and appear to be substantially proven, it is not easy to consider that there is a risk of evidence tampering," and "Considering that it is difficult to conclude that he violated bail conditions over more than a year, it is difficult to see the necessity and appropriateness of detention at this stage."
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