Justice Party Submits Special Prosecutor Bill Today on 'Hwacheon Daeyu 5 Billion Club'

Representative Kang Eun-mi of the Justice Party Proposes
Excluding Both Parties Suspected in Special Prosecutor Recommendation
Excluding Ministry of Justice, Court Administration, and Korean Bar Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Justice Party will submit a special prosecutor law (special prosecutor) on the 14th to investigate the so-called 'Hwacheon Daeyu 5 Billion Club bribery case.' Regarding the 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor,' more discussion is needed on the investigation procedures and methods, but in light of the acquittal of former lawmaker Kwak Sang-do on bribery charges, the investigation into the '5 Billion Club' must accelerate due to the high public outrage. The Justice Party urged both ruling and opposition parties to cooperate in the investigation of the 5 Billion Club, which involves both parties, and emphasized that both parties should be excluded from recommending the special prosecutor.

Lee Eun-ju, the floor leader of the Justice Party, stated at the party meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "The Justice Party will submit the special prosecutor law on the '5 Billion Club bribery case' today."

Lee said, "The prosecution, which has not properly secured concrete evidence to prove the quid pro quo of the bribe and relied solely on a single recorded transcript to conduct a deliberately negligent investigation and poor prosecution, can no longer be trusted," adding, "We officially propose to both ruling and opposition parties a true national special prosecutor, the 'Fairness and Common Sense Special Prosecutor,' who will conduct an investigation without sanctuary from the public's perspective."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Justice Party plans to exclude recommendations from both parties that have former members of the National Assembly and local councilors involved in the special prosecutor recommendation. They also decided to exclude the Ministry of Justice, the Court Administration, and the Korean Bar Association. Lee emphasized, "The 5 Billion Club bribery case is not only about political figures but also a legal cartel centered on current and former high-ranking legal officials," adding, "Just as a thief cannot choose his own handcuffs, no political or judicial interests should interfere in this special prosecutor investigation."

At a separate press conference at the National Assembly, Kang Eun-mi, a Justice Party lawmaker who proposed the 5 Billion Club special prosecutor law, argued, "The recommendation of the special prosecutor should not be made by the two major negotiating parties as a convention, but by non-negotiating parties such as the Justice Party, the Basic Income Party, and Transition Era." Kang pointed out, "Given the flow of the Daejang-dong case, there are suspicions that both major parties are involved, so the recommendation by the two parties constitutes a conflict of interest," and criticized, "Especially the People Power Party, which initially raised suspicions about the 5 Billion Club but has since remained silent, fundamentally lacks the qualification to recommend the special prosecutor."

The Justice Party intends to uncover all illegal lobbying, bribery, business funds, and illegal activities revealed during the investigation related to Hwacheon Daeyu and Seongnam Utddeul. The investigation period is expected to be granted up to a maximum of 270 days, including a first extension of 90 days.

After the meeting, Lee told reporters, "For the special prosecutor law to be processed normally, cooperation from the two major parties is naturally necessary," adding, "We will request cooperation from both parties." Regarding the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor, he said, "If the ruling and opposition parties do not follow normal procedures through agreement, this is not a fast track but rather a 'slow track,'" and reiterated that summoning and investigating Kim Geon-hee immediately is the fastest way since it could take up to eight months or more, emphasizing that summoning and investigation should take precedence over the special prosecutor.