The prosecution, which has shown a lukewarm attitude toward investigating incumbent lawmakers suspected of receiving money envelopes at the Democratic Party's national convention, is recently tightening the reins on the investigation of the involved lawmakers, buoyed by the court testimony of former Democratic Party Deputy Secretary-General Lee Jeong-geun.
As analyses suggest that Lee has turned against his accomplices over the responsibility for distributing the money envelopes, attention in the legal community is focused on whether Lee will provide additional decisive clues in the upcoming investigations and trials.
Lee Jeong-geun, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to the legal community on the 8th, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon) has been concentrating on analyzing materials secured during a search and seizure of the National Assembly offices and residences of Democratic Party lawmakers Lim Jong-seong and Heo Jong-sik on the 2nd. Once the analysis is complete, the prosecution plans to summon the two lawmakers to investigate whether they received money envelopes and the circumstances surrounding it. It is reported that both lawmakers currently deny the allegations, stating they have never received money envelopes.
Starting with these two lawmakers, attention is focused on whether the prosecution will launch a full-scale forced investigation into lawmakers who received money envelopes. The legal community anticipates that a thorough investigation of these two lawmakers and their surroundings will soon reveal the identities of other involved lawmakers.
Lee's role was significant in the rapid progress of the prosecution's investigation. On the 23rd of last month, Lee appeared as a witness at the trial concerning the 'money envelope distribution' case and named lawmakers suspected of receiving money envelopes. When the prosecutor asked about a part of a recorded conversation from April 28, 2021, in which lawmaker Yoon Gwan-seok said to former Deputy Secretary-General Lee, "I was going to not give to the two from Incheon and Jong-seong, but they said, 'Brother, please give us too,' so I lost three," the prosecutor asked, "Does 'the two from Incheon' refer to lawmakers Lee Seong-man and Heo Jong-sik, and 'Jong-seong' to lawmaker Lim Jong-seong?" Lee answered, "Yes." Then, when the prosecutor asked if Yoon's statement implied that it was appropriate to also give money envelopes to lawmakers Lee Yong-bin, Kim Nam-guk, Yoon Jae-gap, and Kim Seung-nam, who were not present at the first delivery site, Lee replied, "Yes." However, Lee testified that he did not know whether the money envelopes were actually delivered to them.
The prosecution is known to have conducted the search and seizure to secure related materials, judging that there is sufficient possibility that lawmakers Lim Jong-seong and Heo Jong-sik received money envelopes, based on Lee's recorded statements and court testimony. If this continues, there is also a possibility that forced investigations will be conducted on lawmakers Lee Yong-bin, Kim Nam-guk, Yoon Jae-gap, and Kim Seung-nam following the two lawmakers.
It is reported that Lee, feeling betrayed as those who conspired and executed the money envelope distribution are shifting all responsibility onto him, is actively revealing the full story of the case. At the trial on the 23rd of last month, Lee claimed that independent lawmaker Lee Seong-man, who gave an interview implying that Lee had demanded money first, "was once considered a comrade but suddenly launched personal attacks against me." Additionally, at the trial on the 30th of last month, Lee engaged in a heated exchange over who was the overall head of the organization with Kang Rae-gu, former Standing Auditor of the Korea Water Resources Corporation.
If the investigation progresses rapidly through Lee, the prosecution is expected to summon former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil for questioning within this month. Song is suspected of being the ultimate beneficiary of the money envelope distribution and of being involved by receiving reports on the process. The prosecution plans to thoroughly examine Song's role and responsibility during the money envelope distribution and summon him for questioning near the conclusion of the investigation.
In response, on the 3rd, former leader Song claimed, "The prosecution is conducting an illegal separate investigation," and applied for the convening of the Prosecution Investigation Review Committee. The Investigation Review Committee is an organization established within the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to review the investigation process and evaluate the legality of results in cases where public suspicion arises or social attention is focused. It deliberates on whether to continue the investigation, prosecute, or not prosecute, and recommends to the investigation team accordingly. The current chairperson of the committee is former Constitutional Court Justice Kang Il-won. The prosecution is expected to soon decide whether to convene the committee and set the schedule in response to Song's application.
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