Two Tenants and a Corporation Also Proceed to Trial Together
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 27th, the prosecution sent Lee, CEO of Hamilton Hotel, who is accused of erecting illegal structures near the Itaewon disaster site, to trial.
The Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office indicted Lee and two tenants, including A, the representative of a pub on the first floor of the hotel's annex, without detention on charges of violating the Building Act and Road Act. The Hamilton Hotel and the pub corporation were also jointly indicted under the joint penalty provision. Previously, the Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters (SIH) had only sent Lee and A to prosecution regarding the illegal extension of the alley where the crush accident occurred, but the prosecution explained that through supplementary investigation, one more tenant was additionally booked and sent to trial together.
According to the prosecution, they are accused of erecting illegal structures around the main building of Hamilton Hotel and occupying the road without permission. On the west side of the Hamilton Hotel main building, adjacent to the alley where the disaster occurred, a steel partition wall covering the outdoor air conditioner unit was installed about 10 years ago. The pub in the annex had been operating for about 10 years by illegally extending the terrace.
However, the prosecution judged that there is insufficient evidence to consider that Lee intentionally neglected the illegally extended pub terrace. Accordingly, the charges of aiding violation of the Building Act applied to Lee by the SIH were dismissed, and only A and others were held legally responsible regarding the pub terrace.
With this, the number of defendants sent to trial in connection with the Itaewon disaster has increased to 17 (including 2 corporations). Starting with the indictment of three people, including former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Public Safety Information Foreign Affairs Division Chief Park Seong-min and former Yongsan Police Station Intelligence Division Chief Kim Jin-ho on the 30th of last month, the prosecution has successively sent to trial former Yongsan Police Station Chief Lee Im-jae, former Yongsan Police Station 112 Situation Room Chief Song Byung-joo, and Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young.
The prosecution plans to continue supplementary investigations targeting Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency officials, including Kim Kwang-ho, the Seoul Police Chief, who were sent without detention on charges of professional negligence causing death and injury by the police. On this day, intelligence division staff, including the Seoul Police Agency Intelligence Analysis Division Chief and Intelligence Situation Division Chief, were summoned as witnesses and investigated.
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