Several Hours of Standoff Continue
"Just a Prosecutor's Fiction," Rebuttal
The prosecution investigating allegations of corruption in the Saemangeum solar power project conducted a search and seizure at the office of Shin Young-dae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 28th, the National Financial Crime Joint Investigation Team of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (led by Chief Prosecutor Lee Il-gyu) announced that investigators executed a search warrant at Shin's office.
There was a standoff lasting several hours between Shin's office and the prosecution over the form of document submission, and Speaker Woo Won-sik issued a statement urging voluntary submission through inter-agency cooperation. Around 5:50 p.m., the prosecution notified the press corps, "Currently, the prosecution is executing the search warrant in accordance with procedures under the cooperation of the National Assembly."
Earlier, the prosecution secured testimony that Seo, the representative of Gunsan Citizen Development Corporation, made a solicitation report to Representative Shin, and on the 2nd of last month, they conducted a search and seizure at Shin's local office in Gunsan, Jeonbuk. Seo was indicted last month on charges of receiving about 100 million won in exchange for soliciting the Saemangeum solar power project to local government officials and political and administrative figures in Gunsan City in 2020.
On this day, the prosecution indicted Shin Young-dae's former aide A on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. A is accused of receiving a total of 57.5 million won under the pretext of soliciting a public official responsible for awarding the Saemangeum solar power project construction contract.
In a statement, Representative Shin said, "I clearly state once again that I have no connection to this case and am innocent. In particular, the allegations that I accepted bribes are baseless slanders and mere fabrications by the prosecution." He added, "It is truly tragic to have to prove that what is not true is not true, but I will fight to the end, even at the risk of my position, to prove my innocence." He further stated, "The solar power investigations that have continued for several years since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration are nothing but a political show and political retaliation targeting the previous administration and the current opposition party." He concluded, "This political persecution and abuse of power by the prosecutorial dictatorship will surely be judged someday, and ultimately, the truth will be revealed."
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