Recently, as key aides involved in various allegations against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, have been released one after another, the political and legal circles are closely watching whether this will become a variable in the prosecution's investigation.
The prosecution believes there is a high possibility that these individuals may engage in obstructive acts such as coordinating stories outside, destroying evidence, and coaching false testimony, and there is a tense atmosphere fearing that such concerns may materialize. In this regard, it is also reported that internal efforts are underway to devise countermeasures.
As early as the 12th, the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) will decide whether to release Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, who is implicated in the Ssangbangwool Group's 'North Korea remittance' allegations. Lee was detained on April 12 on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and the detention period expires on the 13th. The court must decide whether to issue an additional arrest warrant before then. If no warrant is issued by the expiration date, Lee will be immediately released.
Prior to Lee, Jeong Jin-sang, former Political Coordination Officer of the Democratic Party leader's office, was released on bail on April 21, and Kim Yong, former Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute, was released on bail on May 4. On the 7th of last month, Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, was released due to the expiration of his detention period. Kim In-seop, former CEO of Korea Housing Technology, who is accused of acting as a lobbyist during the Baekhyun-dong development preferential treatment case, was also released on bail on the 10th.
The prosecution submitted opinions to each court emphasizing concerns that these releases could adversely affect the investigation and trial, but none were accepted. The court acknowledged the prosecution's concerns and imposed conditions such as requiring them to wear 'location tracking devices' and prohibiting any contact with persons involved in the case, but there is widespread skepticism inside and outside the prosecution about the effectiveness of these measures. Since there are many means and methods to communicate without face-to-face contact, it is considered difficult for the court to verify each instance.
In particular, the fact that Lee recently reversed his statements made during the prosecution's investigation under the influence of his lawyer, wife, and external figures during the trial, and that after Kim was released on bail, circumstances suggesting he deliberately created a favorable alibi for himself were detected, are reported to be making the prosecution investigation team even more uneasy. In Kim's case, on the day he was released, a former director of the Gyeonggi Province Market Promotion Agency, Mr. Lee, who appeared as a witness in court, testified that he met Kim at the Suwon Convention Center office between 3 and 4 p.m. on May 3, 2021, but the prosecution suspects this testimony is false. The prosecution believes that on the same day, Kim met with former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation head Yoo Dong-gyu and received 100 million won in political funds, but if Mr. Lee's alibi testimony is true, this would not be possible. Both the court and prosecution requested Mr. Lee to submit his mobile phone containing evidence for verification, but he refused and ultimately claimed it "suddenly disappeared."
Jung Jin-sang, former Chief of Political Coordination Office at the Democratic Party of Korea Party Leader's Office [Image source=Yonhap News]
Regarding the relay release of aides, some in the legal community view it as a 'release domino' effect following the dismissal of the arrest warrant for Lee, the central figure of the allegations. Most of the charges against the aides are related to Lee, and it is analyzed that the court's refusal to recognize the necessity of Lee's detention has influenced the handling of the aides' custody as well.
The prosecution is showing determination to continue the necessary investigation without wavering. At the same time, it is expected to exert greater effort to secure guilty verdicts in related trials. On the 10th, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin) summoned Kim Man-bae for the first time since his release a month ago to investigate the overall allegations including the Daejang-dong development corruption, the 5 billion won club, and false interviews.
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