The wife of former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young canceled a planned press conference related to the Ssangbangwool Group's investigation into illegal remittances to North Korea, leading to a legal dispute between the prosecution and Lee's side in court.
On the 26th, the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) held the 48th trial for former Deputy Governor Lee on charges including violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.
The prosecution stated, "The defendant's side has continuously engaged in litigation acts outside the courtroom, which could be misunderstood as exerting undue influence on the trial," adding, "The court has already advised the defendant's side not to engage in acts compromising independence, so we are curious why the statement for the press conference was distributed to the media before the court." They also pointed out, "A lawyer who is a current Democratic Party Gyeonggi Province assembly member issued a statement to the media the day before the detention warrant hearing for the defendant, which may constitute a conflict of interest against the client Lee Hwa-young."
On the other hand, Lee's defense attorney argued, "We only performed simple acts such as sharing the press conference materials with the media and securing a venue, and the prosecution's claim that a sitting assembly member lawyer is obstructing the trial through the media itself infringes on the right to defense," adding, "Since the press conference was canceled, the statement remained under reporting restrictions and was not disclosed to the media." Furthermore, the attorney said, "The prosecution repeatedly raises issues about my status, but I have formally submitted my power of attorney to the court and am legally performing my duties as a lawyer," and added, "They repeatedly cast doubt on my qualifications without proving how my status affects this trial, causing significant hindrance to my defense."
Earlier, on the 24th, Lee's wife, Ms. Baek, announced via a message to the media that she would hold a press conference at 4 p.m. on the 25th at the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly. It was reported that Ms. Baek was preparing a statement regarding the prosecution's additional request for a detention warrant for former Deputy Governor Lee ahead of the expiration of his detention period on the 13th of next month, as well as the prosecution's request for a detention warrant against Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on the same day. However, Ms. Baek announced at 9 p.m. on the same day that she would cancel the press conference due to personal reasons.
Lee's side stated that day, "We personally discouraged the spouse from holding the press conference," and added, "The content of the press conference was that 'it would be good if the Democratic Party helped, but they did not.' She intended to express her grievances as a wife, and it was absolutely not a litigation act as claimed by the prosecution." They also said, "The press conference statement was based on the premise that the prosecution's investigation into illegal remittances to North Korea was false, but since it did not include an explanation, there was a risk of being trapped in a conflict frame between Lee Jae-myung and Lee Hwa-young," and added, "The prosecution says the statement harms the defendant, but the truth is otherwise."
The court said, "The prosecution's claim has merit, but according to the defense attorney, it is difficult to see that there was an intentional litigation act outside the trial that could negatively affect the proceedings," and added, "However, since the trial is ongoing, it is concerning that situations that could influence the trial may arise."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
