Jeong Cheong-rae "Kim Mrs. Mentioned 82 Times in Kwon Oh-soo's 2nd Trial Verdict"
Joo Jin-woo "Does Mentioning a Name in the Verdict Mean Presumed Guilty?"
On the 17th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed during the National Assembly inspection over the prosecution's decision to clear First Lady Kim Keon-hee of allegations related to stock manipulation at Deutsche Motors.
Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo criticized, during the first questioning at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's inspection held at Daegu High Court and District Court, "The prosecution announced a decision of no charges against First Lady Kim regarding the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations," adding, "The prosecution shows no fear."
The prosecution reported that First Lady Kim had entrusted account management to former Deutsche Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, a representative of a listed company, trusting him to generate profits, and was unaware of any market manipulation. They judged there was no conspiracy or aiding and abetting in stock manipulation and decided not to prosecute. This conclusion came four and a half years after the Open Democratic Party filed a complaint against First Lady Kim in April 2020.
Following Seo's questioning, opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party and the Innovation Party for Justice launched fierce attacks, citing the no-charge decision as a reason for the need for prosecution reform.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Geon-tae stated, "The prosecution's announced non-prosecution decision document could easily be mistaken for a defense counsel's opinion if only the title were changed," emphasizing, "If this continues, the prosecution's investigative authority will be completely lost. The current Prosecutor General and Chief Prosecutor will be remembered in history as the prosecutors who caused the prosecution's downfall."
Park Eun-jung of the Innovation Party for Justice also said, "Despite overwhelming evidence regarding the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations, the prosecution cleared First Lady Kim during the inspection period," and added, "I hope the courts will strive to realize judicial justice."
During the National Assembly inspection held at Daejeon High Court on the same day, opposition parties intensified their criticism. Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and Democratic Party lawmaker, stated in a procedural speech, "First Lady Kim Keon-hee is mentioned 87 times in the second trial judgment documents of the court concerning Kwon Oh-soo and others, and there was a stern judgment by the court on the main perpetrator and accomplices. The use of Kim Keon-hee's account, which cannot be interpreted without excluding her, is clearly stated in the second trial judgment," strongly criticizing the prosecution.
On the other hand, lawmakers from the People Power Party defended the prosecution's decision to clear First Lady Kim. People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom said, "There is much criticism from the Democratic Party regarding the no-charge decision for First Lady Kim," but countered, "As you know well, this case was investigated for two years by special prosecutors during the Moon Jae-in administration, and all necessary investigations, including indicting the main culprit, were conducted."
He added, "Looking at the prosecution's reasons for non-prosecution today, it is clearly a situation where no crime could be established, so I do not understand why the handling of First Lady Kim was delayed to this extent."
Lawmaker Joo Jin-woo also rebutted Jeong Cheong-rae's remarks, pointing out, "None of the committee members here, including myself, have directly seen the investigation records or have precise knowledge of the matter. Does the frequent mention of a name in the judgment documents imply presumed guilt? The announcement today contains specific information that was previously unknown."
Lawmaker Park Joon-tae also said, "On what grounds does the prosecution claim to have conducted a lenient investigation? Can the complexity of the case be judged based only on fragmented news reports?" He added, "The opposition claims all suspicions against First Lady Kim Keon-hee are criminal allegations and lenient investigations, while asserting that all investigations against Representative Lee Jae-myung are political retaliation."
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