Democrats to Propose Special Prosecutor Law and Plan to Sue Ssangbangwool
Lee Jae-myung: "Prosecutors' Creativity Level Continues to Decline"
'Judicial Risk' Worsens... Four Trials Proceeding Simultaneously
The prosecution indicted Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges including third-party bribery related to the 'Ssangbangwool Group's alleged remittance to North Korea.' As a result, Lee now faces a total of four trials simultaneously, in addition to the three existing ones. The Democratic Party has labeled the prosecution's additional indictment as a 'political prosecution' and launched an all-out response.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, is reading a prepared statement in front of reporters as he attends the trial on the Daejang-dong development corruption case held at the Seoul Central District Court on the 9th. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
The Criminal Division 6 of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office indicted Lee on the morning of the 12th without detention on three charges: violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (third-party bribery), violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and violation of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act. This came five days after former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial for remittance to North Korea on the 7th. Lee Jae-myung was the governor of Gyeonggi Province while Lee Hwa-young served as deputy governor. The prosecution judged that Lee and Lee Hwa-young were involved in Ssangbangwool's illegal remittance of 8 million USD to North Korea. The amount is said to be the sum of 3 million USD for Lee Jae-myung's visit to North Korea and 5 million USD for the North Korea-Gyeonggi Province cooperation project directed by Lee Hwa-young.
On the other hand, the Democratic Party has claimed that Ssangbangwool illegally remitted 8 million USD to North Korea to boost its stock price. Jang Kyung-tae, chairman of the party's Countermeasures Committee Against Prosecutorial Dictatorship and Political Oppression, said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 10th, "Former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae was identified as a figure linked to a violent organization," adding, "It is baffling that the court ruled that a company of Ssangbangwool's scale could not have remitted money to North Korea solely to raise its stock price."
Democratic Party Responds with Special Prosecutor Law and Complaints
The Democratic Party immediately launched a full-scale response. First, they plan to swiftly push forward the 'Special Prosecutor Law on the Prosecution's Fabrication of the North Korea Remittance Case,' proposed by Lee Sung-yoon and others on the 3rd. The law calls for appointing a special prosecutor to reinvestigate the entire Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case. Once activated, the special prosecutor will examine whether the prosecution unlawfully coerced witnesses into giving false testimony or committed other illegal acts during the investigation.
Furthermore, the party announced plans to file complaints against Ssangbangwool. Floor spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon said, "The verdict on Lee Hwa-young was based on testimonies from former Chairman Kim Sung-tae and Ahn Bu-soo," adding, "However, there are suspicions that Ahn Bu-soo was bribed by Ssangbangwool." He continued, "We plan to file complaints against Ahn Bu-soo and Ssangbangwool," and said, "We will provide more specific details about the complaints and targets later."
Lee Seong-yoon, a member of the Special Countermeasures Team for Political Prosecution Fabrication of the Democratic Party of Korea, is submitting the Special Prosecutor Act on North Korea Remittance Prosecution Fabrication at the National Assembly Secretariat in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the afternoon of the 12th, Lee Jae-myung responded, "The prosecution's level of fabrication is deteriorating," and said, "The public can easily see how absurd this case is with just a little scrutiny." When a reporter mentioned, "The court said (Lee) spoke with former Chairman Kim Sung-tae," he trailed off, saying, "That doesn't make sense..."
Lee Faces Inescapable 'Judicial Risk'
Although the Democratic Party is proposing various countermeasures, Lee's judicial risk could become an obstacle to his party leadership and presidential ambitions.
With this additional indictment, Lee must attend four trials alternately. He currently appears in court every Tuesday and Friday for charges related to the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development corruption and illegal donations to Seongnam FC, as well as false statements under the Public Official Election Act. He also attends a trial held about once a month for perjury related to impersonating a prosecutor. With the added North Korea remittance case, he may have to appear in court three to four times a week.
Moreover, if he receives a fine exceeding 1 million KRW in the Public Official Election Act trial, Lee will lose his seat in the National Assembly during his term and face difficulties running for president. If he receives a prison sentence or higher, including suspended sentences, in any of the four trials at the Supreme Court level, his eligibility to run for office will be revoked. As Lee is currently a leading presidential candidate within the Democratic Party, the sense of crisis within the party is expected to continue for some time. However, no first-instance verdicts have been issued yet.
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